Pokemon Hoenn Adventure: The Final Generation! (HIATUS)
by El Torro
Summary: Thomas Brooks moves from Alola to Hoenn, leaving everything he knew behind. All he wants is a normal journey as he competes in the Hoenn League so he can make enough money to return home. Aided by a team full of lunatics, each with their own outrageous goals, Tom fights the Ultra Beasts and uncovers the mysteries of Burst Evolution. Why couldn't he just have a normal journey?
1. Cut from a Different Cloth

**Ah, another story. I originally planned on having this take place in Alola, but the combination of having to wait until November and wanting to "redo" Hoenn proved to be too much. So yeah, this is a thing now, and I'm extremely excited to get into the swing of things! This should be my biggest and best story, because there are a lot of things (a LOT) that I have up my sleeve. Anyways, let's get going!**

* * *

A light breeze danced through the trees and brought about the calling of autumn. People were on their way home from work, children were still playing outside, and Pokemon scurried about merrily, living in harmony with the humans whom they called partners. All was well in Littleroot Town, or at least so it seemed.

The sound of fingers tapping against a tree flooded the air, only to drown within five feet. Not a soul was aware of his presence. He continued tapping away to the beat in his head, making music with his mouth while rocking his head back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. A pair of large earphones were clamped over the boy's head and around his ears, blocking out everyone and everything. Suddenly, the tapping stopped. It was then replaced by scribbling in an instant, and the Pokemon around looked at one another and sighed.

"Revolutionary Trainers and their Pokemon," the boy - the one who was making music - whispered as he tapped a pencil against the book in his hands. "World Champion Red and his ace partner, Charizard." The young man paused and leaned back against the tree trunk. "Red is the youngest Champion ever, the longest-tenured World Champion, and his Charizard has the longest individual winning streak of a Champion's Pokemon."

He looked down at the tablet in his hands and turned up the brightness. Beaming when he found his answer was correct, he turned to the next page.

"Owen Plateau and his best friend, Charizard."

Pausing, he ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair and sighed.

"Owen was the first person ever to succeed an assassinated Champion, the first Champion to base his Elite 4 off of battling styles instead of types, and his Charizard is the only known Pokemon capable of using Mega Fusion."

The young man paused and looked up at the stars, a pondering expression rushing across his face in a flash.

"That's right," he muttered after glancing back at the screen, which his statement echoed. "Still, I feel like there has to be at least one other Pokemon that can use Mega Fusion. Surely he had to have taken on an apprentice of sorts.

Tapping away at the tablet's screen as he ignored the curious group of wild Pokemon forming in the branches directly above him, the male began to page through Owen's online biography, which had been posted on the Kalos League website and verified by the man himself.

He had three kids - two daughters and a son at the ages of twenty-three, twenty-one, and fifteen, respectively - but there was nothing about them wielding such a technique, prompting an even more intense search.

"If he didn't teach his kids, then maybe he showed his wife how to use it!"

He was wrong.

 _"C'mon, Thomas! You know you can find the answer! You know you can!"_ the young man, Thomas, reiterated mentally as his face scrunched each time the thought reverberated around his mind. Without a second thought, Thomas returned to the e-book he was reading and scrolled down a bit further, where he found a page dedicated to three trainers, who just so happened to be standing with Kalos' Champion.

"Gray Plain and Tyson Pernell," he muttered aloud, rubbing his chin as he did so. "Why do I feel like I've heard their names before?" Thomas asked as he turned to the Wurmple and Taillow nearby. The wild creatures tilted their heads in confusion, eliciting an agitated sigh from the human.

"That'd sure be cool having a transformation exclusive to my Pokemon." The young man sighed, shook his head, turning the tablet off, and began to make his way down the tree. He did so in little time and hopped back onto the beaten road. It traveled in an angular, zig-zagging motion with enough room to squeeze two people.

Thomas picked his feet up - one after the other, never at the same time - and let them flop against the ground as he listened to the laughter of children and excited cries from their Pokemon. A sigh escaped Thomas, yet he continued trudging onwards.

"I wonder how everyone's doing back home."

His words bounced around the trees but reached no one.

He was alone.

"Hau, Lillie, Professor…" Thomas looked up at the stars once again, clenching his fists to the point where his arms were trembling. "Dammit!" A startling crack rang in the ears of the wild Pokemon, and the lone human found himself staring at his feet. His fist, throbbing with pain, was pressed against the base of an imposing tree.

Looking up as he retracted his hand, Thomas was met with the sight of lamp poles cluttering the few streets making up his town. There were about a hundred houses or so, and in the middle of them all was the only reason people new to the area ever came: Professor Birch's laboratory. That was why he was there, sentenced to isolation from everything and everyone he knew and loved. Thomas pushed the thought to the back of his mind and continued his schlep home.

He reached his home in no time, surprisingly, and stared at the house. It was a carbon copy of the others - two windows on either side of the door, both with another window directly above on the next floor; a dark, wood roof; and a stone chimney to the back left of the front. This was not home, nor would it ever be. Still, Thomas turned the knob and walked inside, only to groan when he saw a group of Machoke moving enormous boxes from one part of the room to another.

A woman in her early forties was shouting a series of instructions, pointing towards different areas of the house. The sound of the door closing caused her to turn on her heels, and an irritated look was plastered on her face. Thomas simply walked by her and headed up the stairs while waving to all of the Machoke.

"Where have you been?" the brunette interrogated as she followed Thomas up the stairs and into his room.

He turned and looked around at the dozen boxes scattered across the hardwood floor before plopping down on his bed, and the fair-skinned woman continued to glare at him.

"Well? Are you going to answer me?"

Thomas slowly turned and opened his eyes, both hands still interlocked and resting against the back of his neck. Then, as apathetically as possible, he muttered, "Doesn't matter," before returning to his original laying position.

The woman's face burned bright red, but she refrained from exploding. Instead, she opted to take a deep breath and assess the situation, her eyes darting from one box to another in hopes of clearing her ever-growing rage. A Machoke entered the room a second later and then gently placed another box down. The Fighting-type directed a smile towards both Thomas and his mother.

"That's the last of 'em, Ma'am. Is there anything else you need help with?" the hulking Pokemon questioned with the help of his translator.

"Oh no! You and the others have done more than enough, thank you. I'm sure we can handle unpacking everything and getting settled in."

The Machoke nodded and began walking out of the room before he stopped dead in his tracks and turned. "If you do need anything, please don't hesitate to call." Thomas' mother bowed in response while he waved from his bed, drawing a hearty laugh from the Pokemon. "I almost forgot! You're going to visit Professor Birch tomorrow, right, Thomas?"

"Mhm," he hummed indifferently, making Machoke laugh again while the middle-aged woman shook her head. "It's cool, I guess, but…" Thomas paused and stared at the ceiling, prompting the mover to finish his thought.

"You wish you were still back home in Alola, right?" it asked, drawing a nod. "I get that, but as the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

With that, Machoke waved and exited the bedroom, leaving the mother and son in silence. Thomas continued to stare at the ceiling blankly, his mind wandering to a far away land, while his mother leaned against the wall and sighed. She didn't notice the sudden - and equally subtle - glance from her son.

Her eyes were baggy and clumps of her fading-brown hair were thrown in all different directions. Even the shirt she was wearing looked worn-down, having turned from silver to gray due to perspiration. Thomas retracted his gaze and remained stone-faced, but the facade didn't translate to his brain.

"Thomas."

Turning towards the woman who named him, Thomas kept his mouth shut. He threw her a bone, however, by raising an eyebrow in response.

"I know the move has been hard on you."

Thomas rolled out of his bed and waltzed over to a box titled 'FRAGILE' without a word. His mother continued speaking while he reached into the box and pulled out a picture. To the right, there was a boy with dark skin and dark green hair that was tied into a bun at the top displaying a toothy smile. On the left was a pale girl with long blonde hair giving a much more reserved smile than her green-haired friend. Thomas stared at the boy in the middle who was smiling just like the other boy in the picture. Both of his arms were draped around the kids on either side of him, and it looked as if they had been friends for all of eternity.

"Did you listen to a word I just said?"

Snapping out of his daydreaming, Thomas fibbed and nodded. His mother gave a slight grunt in response before exiting the room, but, just like Machoke had earlier, she stopped and turned.

"Try to make the best of this. You'll be traveling across the entire Hoenn region, so I want you to come back with a lot of good memories and friends, okay?"

Thomas continued to stare at the picture from his youth, but after a few seconds he smiled and placed it on his bed.

"Sure thing, Mom."

 **000**

Thomas waltzed up to the laboratory and paused about twenty feet from the door. Four massive columns rested in the corners of the building's exterior, each holding up the intense weight of the roof. The soon-to-be trainer yawned and rubbed his eyes while he resumed his venture into the lab. The sun was still rising over the trees, and not a single Pokemon was awake, nor were the residents of Littleroot Town.

After getting one foot in the door, Thomas stopped on a dime and froze like a statue. His face dropped at the sight of a poster hanging on the wall directly in front of him. Three Pokemon - Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, the Starter Pokemon of Hoenn - were pictured on it, and so were their evolutions.

 _"How did I forget about that!?"_ Thomas screamed to himself, only to discover a large man with a chinstrap laughing at the sight.

"Haha, good morning! You're... Uh..." The man paused and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, causing the sleeves of his lab coat to ride up and fall down repeatedly. "What's your name again?"

"Thomas Brooks, sir."

The professor's eyes lit up and he rushed forwards, grabbing Thomas by the wrist in a flash. An ear-to-ear smile was slapped across his face, and he laughed like a fool while dragging the prospective trainer through the cluttered front of the room. The man's grip released in a nanosecond, sending Thomas stumbling into a desk head-first.

"Whoops. Sorry about that," the professor muttered through laughter. "Anyways," he began as Thomas rose and rubbed his aching head, "the name's Professor Birch. It's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise."

The two shook hands and stood awkwardly for a moment until Birch jumped in shock, sweat-dropping shortly thereafter. He scampered over to the desk Thomas had smashed into and placed three Poke Balls on it, which grabbed the young man's attention.

"I'm sure you want to hit the road as soon as possible, so I'll try wrapping this up nice and quick. Does that sound good to you?" the bearded man asked.

A nod from Thomas followed, prompting Birch to speak.

"In this Poke Ball here is the Grass type Pokemon, Treecko."

Professor Birch tossed the capsule to his right, and it snapped open upon reaching its apex. A beam of white light struck the ground and a bipedal gecko materialized before Thomas, who stared in amazement. It had three digits on its hands and feet, each of which contained a tiny spike. The lower-half of its mouth was an odd shade of red that extended down to its stomach and formed the shape of a pouch. Sticking out most prominently, however, was a large, dark-green tail that very nearly split into two down the middle.

Opening its huge, yellow eyes, the Treecko let out a deafening scream as soon as he saw Thomas. The gecko jumped back a few inches while holding its chest, panting wildly while Thomas, who was sprawled out on the floor, covered his ears with a grimace.

"Haha! Treecko here's a bit skittish, but that won't stop her from being a great partner for you. Treecko and their evolutions specialize in speed and attack-power, so even though she may not look it right now, Treecko will become a great battler."

A light blush ran along Treecko's round nose, and she twiddled her digits behind her back while staring at the ground. Thomas slowly opened his eyes, then smacked his face a few times to fully get back into things. Once he attempted to sit up, he was shocked to watch Treecko jump down from the table and offer a hand, albeit timidly and without looking in his general direction.

"S-sorry," she stammered.

Thomas let out a shriek and covered his mouth upon hearing the gecko speak, causing both Professor Birch and the Grass Starter to cover their ears and cry in pain. The Alolan - a name worn with great pride by those hailing from the Alola region - rushed to his feet and offered a hand to Treecko.

Professor Birch shook his head and winced at the continuous ringing in his ears but stopped when his eyes caught a glimpse of what was happening. Treecko took Thomas' hand with great reluctance, but she quickly found herself standing upright. She proceeded to bow to the rookie trainer, and Birch smiled in response.

"Starter Pokemon are implanted with a translator prior to being picked by trainers. Oh, and when you catch a wild Pokemon, the Poke Ball implants a translator in them too."

The shaggy-haired rookie nodded in response before redirecting his attention to Treecko, whom he analyzed for a split second.

"I'm Thomas Brooks," he greeted, drawing a bow from the Grass-type.

"Treecko's my..." She stopped for a long while, and her green skin turned bright red. "Of course you knew that already. Why am I so stupid?" Treecko asked in a hush whisper.

"Well, now that you two are done acquainting with one another, I'll move on to the next Pokemon."

Thomas and Treecko each gave one slow blink in response at the same exact time, but the professor paid them no attention. Hurling the second capsule up high, he was befuddled when it didn't open and simply hit the ground.

"What the fu-"

"There isn't a Pokemon in here," Thomas announced after picking up the Poke Ball and pressing the white button in the center. "Professor, did you give away both of the other Starter Pokemon?"

Birch raced towards the remaining capsule and pressed the center button, only to find that nothing was inside. As a result, the man flopped onto the ground like a starfish and let out a muffled scream of frustration. Treecko and Thomas watched and shook their heads, but the former stopped earlier to examine her potential trainer.

The pair of emerald eyes looked odd with his peach skin and light-brown hair, and his black sweatshirt made them stick out even more.

 _"Still, he is a stranger. Who am I to judge?"_ Treecko thought to herself.

"Sorry, Tommy," the professor began, causing Thomas to deadpan, "but I don't have any other Pokemon. Treecko's the only one left for you," the man said as he lifted his head off the ground. "I mean, you could wait a week or so if your heart's set on getting Torchic or Mudkip, but-"

"Sure, Professor Birch, I'll team up with Treecko. Is that okay with you?"

Treecko eyed the hand Thomas had extended for what seemed like years. She didn't move a muscle the entire time, causing the human's heart to beat faster and faster.

"I guess so," the gecko replied flatly, only to face-palm right afterwards. "I mean yes."

And just like that, Thomas and Treecko were a team, albeit an odd one, but a team nonetheless.

 **000**

"Let's move, Torchic! Come on!"

The aforementioned chick pumped his tiny legs as fast as he could, but they gave out underneath the mud. Slamming into the puddle face-first with a thud, Torchic's trainer and opponent, a Wingull, stared in confusion.

"Gul!" the wild Wingull squawked before flapping its wings and flying away as if its life depended on it.

Torchic lifted his head from the liquefied ground and turned with a sheepish grin, causing his trainer to groan and cover her face with both hands. Despite the reaction, Torchic, somehow forcing a smile, walked over to his trainer's side and sat down next to her.

"Sorry about that. I guess I'm getting kinda tired," the Fire-type stated. His trainer's pretty face disappeared and was replaced by a frightening one, and yet Torchic kept smiling. "I deserved that, but I promise I'll become stronger for you!" the arm-less creature proclaimed.

Not a word was said by the young woman next to Torchic, and she pulled out his Poke Ball.

"Return."

Torchic disappeared inside the device after being struck by the red beam, leaving the trainer all by her lonesome. Her boots clicked against the ground, emanating the sound a horse would. She kept her ruby eyes up and straight, regardless of the sounds made by wild Pokemon stirring in the night. Not one of the wild creatures dared to attack her. Even when an opportunity arose - like when she'd adjust her golden headband - the Pokemon didn't move.

It took a mere five minutes for the tan-skinned girl to reach the Pokemon Center and heal Torchic, who was released from his Poke Ball as soon as his trainer was back outside. Shaking his feathers upon materializing from the capsule, Torchic looked around the small town and then at the starry sky overhead.

"Hey, uh, don't you think we should go to bed? It's kinda late for training."

There was no response, so the Fire-type returned his gaze to his trainer, or at least where she had been. The chick quickly scanned the area and spotted the short, wavy black hair he had grown to recognize and bolted after the young lady. After catching up to her, Torchic smiled at the ruby-eyed girl.

"Would you stop that?" she snapped, causing her Starter to flinch and stand up straight like a robot. "Good. We're going to work until the sun rises tomorrow, got it?"

Torchic nodded wildly and turned with a curious expression. "Why are we training so hard?"

Both fists clamped shut and Torchic watched the young woman's arms tremble. Something about her eyes changed at that very moment, but he couldn't tell what it was.

"Because they better know my name: Ashley Baker."

* * *

 **Whew! That, people, is the first chapter of PHA:TFG, and I guess you'll just have to go cold turkey for a month or so. Or... maybe an update will come if I struggle with U:ANG. Anyhow, Thomas, the new main character, moved to Hoenn from Alola and received his first Pokemon, Treecko. You also got a glimpse at the one and only Ashley, who isn't anything like you think she is. Weird, right? So yeah, that's it for the first chapter, and hopefully you enjoyed it! This story should have a lot more twists, epic battles than the previous two series, and (in my opinion) it has the best characters. Expectations are very high, folks, that's for sure. Next chapter will focus on Thomas and Treecko hitting the road, and Ashley will also be appearing! Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. Predictions for this set of chapters?  
**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Pushed from the Nest"**_

 _ **Thomas and Treecko hit the road in hopes of getting to Rustboro City as quickly as possible for their first Gym Battle. As luck would have it, things take a wild turn when the two encounter an injured Pokemon that was injured by its own family! Will Thomas and Treecko be able to solve this family feud? Meanwhile, a powerful individual catches wind of Ashley's intense training and intervenes! Who is this mysterious person?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Rustboro City**

 **Chapter 3: The Early Bird Gets the Early Worm  
** **Chapter 4: Rampage in Rustboro  
** **Chapter 5: The Girl  
Chapter 6: Dueling the Dancing Duo** **!** **  
Chapter 7: A Spirit in Critical Condition  
Chapter 8: Emerging from the Rockslide**


	2. Pushed from the Nest

**Ah, it's finally time for the... first(?) update of this story. Feels good, as do changes to the theme song. Anyhow, last chapter introduced y'all to our new hero, Thomas, who moved to Littleroot Town from Alola. After some background about him and his situation, he went to Birch's lab and picked his starter, Treecko, who... well, she's a character xD This chapter, Thomas and Treecko will hit the road and find themselves in the middle of a dispute between a Pokemon and it's family. Now let's get going!**

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Forever... yis xD It's been an even longer time between updates, but at least they'll be a bit more frequent with U:ANG being dead and all. The contrast between Thomas and Ashley will continue to be shown throughout the story, or at least a decent chunk of it, so yeah, get used to them being on opposite ends of the spectrum_

 **Delta Edge:** _Nice predictions, though May won't appear in this story. Thanks for the support!_

 **TheGreat0ne:** _Yeah, that was more a product of me wanting to introduce Alola in some manner than thinking about Thomas moving to Hoenn, plus I'll be trying to use it as a driving force behind Thomas' character than anything. Those predictions tho... I like 'em, sir_

 **dragonplayer18:** _Wow, that had to have sucked... or maybe it didn't. Idk :P If it was a bad time, sorry to hear about that, but at least (maybe) you're able to relate to Thomas on some level, which is always great!_

 **SirSwag333:** _Haha, thanks! Hopefully this will exceed your expectations_

 **St. Elmo's Fire:** _I know I PM'd you about the whole dialogue tag issue, but I figured I'd just say thanks again for pointing that out! If anything sticks out in the future, please don't hesitate to let me know about it_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Lol, no problem xD This story should be a lot less hectic than the others, because there has been so much more planning, although I'm never one to stick to a guideline_

 **Shadow Dragon9000:** _Yes, this will be the final one, as much as I hate to admit it. That's what college will do to you though. And thanks! I put a lot of effort into it, more so than any other chapter that I can remember, and will continue to do so throughout this story. Being cliche (intros or not) is my specialty, and I'm not afraid to admit it xD I'm glad it hooked you though! Thanks again (Treecko tho)! Can't wait to post more!_

 **Huge Fan (guest):** _Thanks for the kind words! I think Thomas will be a way better character than Gray, and Ashley's easily one of my favorites. And here's an update!_

 **MCMXCV:** _Wow, thanks a ton! It's great hearing from you again, by the way. You hit all the nails on the head in regards to Thomas, and then some; he's going to be very analytical and reserved/timid. Treecko won't be blunt per se, but she'll make for comedic relief with her awkwardness, that's for sure xD Her progression will be awesome to watch too. Ashley's easily my favorite character ever, and I'm confident a lot of people will love her too. I didn't initially plan on doing anything involving his relationship with his mother, but now that you mention it, I might. Very few people actually make the parents key figures in their stories, so I'll try to break the mold here xD Thanks for the awesome review!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 5, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed**

* * *

After having received five Poke Balls and a Pokedex from Professor Birch, Thomas and his partner headed towards the front of the lab. Treecko's shorter legs made it difficult for her to keep pace with her trainer, but she did nonetheless, albeit with great effort. They walked in silence the whole way, neither looking at the other until Thomas spotted his house and turned to the right. He bumped into Treecko, who hadn't been watching where she was going, causing her to fall and blush wildly.

"Sorry about that," Thomas muttered while looking down at his starter. Both hands were dug into his pockets, so Treecko rose to her feet without assistance and gave a sheepish grin while shaking her head.

"No no no. It's my fault. Sorry!"

She bowed and held her pose while the brunette standing a few feet away scanned her. A puzzled expression appeared on his face as he watched Treecko's legs begin to shake. Despite still being confused, the seventeen year old walked away from his Pokemon, prompting her to look up and rush after him until they reached the front door of the house.

"I'm getting a few things before we go."

With that, the rookie walked inside with Treecko in tow, though they were stopped almost immediately when a middle-aged woman sitting on a couch perked her head up.

"Thomas!" she called, only for her son to continue walking up the stairs. Treecko, on the other hand, stopped and began looking between the two. Was she supposed to follow her trainer, or greet his mother? The Grass-type continued to turn back and forth, glancing between Thomas' intense stare and that of his mother's.

A sudden wave of heat washed over Treecko's body, and she began to sweat profusely. Her green skin quickly turned red, causing Thomas' mother to raise an eyebrow while he, on the other hand, continued staring at his Pokemon.

"Who's this?" the middle-aged woman inquired rhetorically as she took a step towards her son's starter. "A Treecko?" Thomas' mother squatted and stared at Treecko, who had a pool of sweat forming around her feet. The pair of older eyes fixated on her were bone-chilling to say the least.

The lack of Thomas' presence coupled with his mother's silence was torturous, amplifying Treecko's heartbeat tenfold. At that instant, a hand shot forwards, causing the gecko to let out a scream and stumble backwards. Tripping over her feet, Treecko smacked against the ground and attempted to scamper away.

"Huh, well it's certainly... unusual," Thomas' mother said through muffled laughter. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Honey."

Thomas grunted in response and waltzed up the stairs, prompting Treecko to bow to her trainer's mother at the speed of light. Then, she bolted up the stairs and followed Thomas into his room. Upon entering, her yellow eyes scanned the layout, though she was far from impressed. The only things other than a bed were unopened boxes that cluttered the floor, making it nearly impossible to spot the wood.

"Uh... what are you getting?" the Grass-type asked while watching Thomas rip one of the boxes open and search through it.

He paid no attention to the question, causing Treecko to sweat-drop. It was odd. Thomas hadn't so much as said a word since leaving Professor Birch's lab, or at least attempted to make conversation.

"Let's go. We've already wasted enough time here."

Treecko snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at the brunette before her. His emerald eyes seemed to be looking through her, or so she thought. Treecko gave a simple nod in agreement and kept pace with Thomas as they headed down back down the stairs. Without even turning to his mother, Thomas extended his hand and reached for the door, muttering, "I guess I'll see ya."

With that, he pushed the door open and disappeared with Treecko, neither noticing the look from Thomas' mother.

 **000**

Thomas and Treecko continued down Route 101, the latter with wide eyes while Thomas kept his hands in his pockets and head to the ground. There wasn't anything he hadn't seen on the route, though the same couldn't be said for Treecko, obviously. Still, the trainer kept his mouth shut while his Pokemon continued to gape and marvel at the sight of each and every tree.

"So, uh, wh-what are the- I mean, _your_ goals?" the Grass-type asked out of nowhere, causing Thomas to turn towards her. His sharp stare caused Treecko to flinch and sweat profusely, and her skin began to turn red. "I mean... do y-you want to, uh, be a coor-coordinator?"

Her jittering continued even as Thomas turned away and looked up ahead, his eyes locked onto Oldale Town. Treecko's sweating increased, and she began to twiddle with her fingers and turn away from Thomas, whose silence was all she needed to hear.

"Your mom seems ni-nice... kind of."

Again, a quick glance was shot at Treecko, though she wasn't aware of it. Instead, the bipedal gecko continued walking down the road with her neck facing the opposite direction of Thomas. He scowled and inaudibly mumbled something under his breath.

His gaze pulled off the road and locked onto the endless miles of trees, as well as the Pokemon that inhabited them. Their presence was further amplified when the seventeen year old accidentally touched a Poke Ball while attempting to place his hand in the pocket of his pants. Stopping dead in his tracks, Thomas remained motionless while Treecko continued strolling onwards. Eventually, she turned around and spotted her trainer.

"Wh-what's wrong?" she asked while scampering over to him. "Did I d-do so-something?"

Thomas continued to stare at the dirt road with the feeling of the Poke Ball tingling in his hand. It then shot up his arm and spread throughout his body before he finally looked up and cracked a smile, albeit a slight one.

"I just remembered I need to catch some Pokemon," the brunette began before adding, "if I ever want to get the hell out of here."

Treecko tilted her head at the response before asking with a stammer, "What was that la-last part?"

She watched Thomas brush off the inquiry by turning his attention to the trees, where tons of Pokemon were stationed. His eyes darted from one target to another before, finally, a squawk cracked in the air. Both Treecko and Thomas spun around and stared at the tree from which the sound came, and they spotted a tiny creature falling from the top.

Without a second to waste, Thomas took off at mach speed while Treecko didn't move a muscle. He closed in on the descending body and dove as he fully extended both arms, which just barely prevented the creature from splattering against the ground. Treecko continued to stare at her trainer even as he looked up from the dirt and examined the Pokemon in his arms.

It was a tiny bird, maybe a robin, with a red head and gray-feathered body. A larger black tail stuck upwards at the end of its body, and the creature let out a weak chirp while staring at Thomas.

"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokemon. Despite the beauty of its lilting voice, it's merciless to intruders that enter its territory."

Treecko shuddered as chills ran down her spine, and she hurried over to Thomas' side upon hearing the Pokedex's entry. The Fletchling in-hand, however, didn't look to be in fighting shape. Deep cuts, which bordered onto lacerations, ran along its body, as did a few burn marks.

"Who the hell would do this?" Thomas asked himself aloud, drawing a shrug from his starter. "Hey, we're taking you to a Pokemon Center right away," he said to the Fletchling.

The robin's eyes narrowed, but a weak squawk followed by a grimace was its response. Without another word, Thomas and Treecko sprinted off towards the Pokemon Center in Oldale Town, only to stop when the teen face-palmed. Treecko shot him a confused glance and watched as her trainer placed his backpack on the ground and opened it, revealing a Potion.

He then sprayed the injured Fletchling with the medicine, causing its health to skyrocket in a matter of seconds. The tiny bird hopped out of Thomas' arms and landed on the ground. Then turning on a dime, it squawked and folded its wings over its chest. Thomas tilted his head while Treecko gave a deadpan stare in response to her fellow Pokemon's actions. In doing so, she drew her partner's attention, and he asked, "What's it saying?"

Fletchling continued to chirp away at the duo while Treecko closed her eyes and listened to every sound that escaped the robin's beak. Once he finished speaking, Fletchling folded his wings over his chest again and turned his head away from Thomas, who continued to look on in confusion.

"He said he d-doesn't need your he-help," Treecko said, which was followed by a small chirp from Fletchling. "Turd."

Thomas blinked once as he continued to stare at Fletchling, and he rose to his feet while throwing his backpack over his shoulder. Without another word, he walked past the short creature while Treecko followed. However, the brunette turned his head slightly and spat, "Jerk." The gecko watched as Fletchling, whose back was facing her and Thomas, recoiled at the name before sharply twisting its neck halfway around.

"Chling," it muttered, sending chills down Treecko's spine. Her trainer, on the other hand, paid Fletchling no attention, prompting another comment from the wild Pokemon. "Fletch-fletch! Ling!"

"Lis-listen here, you... cafone? Wh-wh-what's a cafone?" Treecko questioned while looking at Fletchling, who chirped away. "A peasant?"

Thomas' ears perked up at the insult and he stopped dead in his tracks while Fletchling resumed his taunting and Treecko translated.

"Fle-fle-chling! Chling-Fletch!"

"N-nobody calls me a je-je-jerk."

Raising an eyebrow, Thomas eyed Fletchling and watched as it began to beat its chest with its left wing. Continuing his unrelenting verbal assault, the Flying-type chirped away until he no longer had any breath. He bent over and panted wildly afterwards, drawing a sigh from Treecko.

"Yeah, okay. So who the hell beat you up?" Thomas asked bluntly, causing Fletchling to flinch. Silence fell over the group and the sounds of Pokemon rustling in the trees filled the air. It didn't look as if the wild creature was going to spill any information, but Thomas spoke again. "Look, it's the least you can do considering I tended to your injuries." The Flying-type scowled and stuck his beak towards the sky after turning away, drawing an annoyed sigh from Thomas. "Okay then, see ya."

"Chling!" Fletchling cried, extending a wing as he watched the trainer walk away. "Fletch."

After Treecko finished translating, Thomas' eyes narrowed and his stare hardened dramatically.

"So your family did that to you? Assholes!"

Fletchling nodded in agreement and sat down whilst pouting before he spat out, with the help of Treecko's translating, "Th-they're... I-I don't feel comf-comfortable saying this." The gecko turned to her trainer, but his insistence proved too great. "Th-they're pricks. I-I'm going to take them d-down." The Grass-type sighed after speaking and shook her head, but Fletchling rose to his feet and extended a wing.

"Fle!"

"Hey!"

"Chling! Chling-Fletch!"

"C-C-Could you help?"

Thomas scoffed at the request and folded his arms over his chest while turning away, making Fletchling's jaw hit the ground while Treecko breathed a sigh of relief. Much to her dismay, the bipedal gecko watched her trainer crack a smile and nod slowly. Just like that, Treecko deadpanned while Fletchling chirped a peppy tune, though he stopped when he heard the human clear his throat.

"It's a pain, but I can't say no. Treecko, let's finish this quickly."

Fletchling pounded his chest with both wings and squawked wildly while Treecko hung her head and followed the two males.

Thirty minutes or so passed as the trio waltzed through the woods with Fletchling leading the charge. Treecko and Thomas, who walked side-by-side, kept their eyes peeled and scanned their left and right constantly. Fletchling, meanwhile, kept his focus locked onto what was straight ahead, and he flapped his wings every so often as a means of maintaining his altitude. Each time he did flap his wings, a gust of wind was created and slammed against the ground, destroying the grass.

Treecko stared at the dancing blades of green as they were launched upwards, and continued to do so every time it happened. Thomas did the same, and the two eventually caught each other. Sweat poured down Treecko's face and she turned away from the brunette, but he cracked a slight smile.

"Fletch!"

The sound bounced off the trees in the woods and poured into the ears of Treecko and Thomas. The latter of the two narrowed his eyes and stopped, mirroring Fletchling, and he began to look around quietly. Suddenly, Fletchling's chirping coupled with Treecko's delayed translation caused Thomas to jump and let out a shrill scream.

As soon as he turned around, the shaggy-haired teen saw Fletchling sprawled out on the ground cracking up. Treecko, meanwhile, put her right hand over her heart and sped up her breathing while sitting down. Once she had calmed herself down, she attempted to speak to Thomas, but found him glaring daggers at the robin. The two butted heads and pushed back and forth, trading insults like children until a deafening squawk cracked in the air.

Both Fletchling and Thomas turned their gazes towards the sky and the former fell on his back. Treecko began to sweat profusely, and she scampered over to Thomas' side, grabbing ahold of his pant leg while staring at the creature overhead.

It was a large, red-and-gray-feathered bird, whose wings were accented by black feathers at the tips. It's piercing white eyes locked onto the trainer and Pokemon, and another deafening squawk emanated from its mouth. Thomas, Treecko, and Fletchling covered their ears at the sound and flinched, and once they opened their eyes, three more Pokemon were flying overhead.

Two of them were smaller than the first bird, but their color schemes were similar. They had round heads with gray underbellies, and gold-tipped wings.

"What the hell are those things?" Thomas thought aloud before scanning the pair of smaller birds first.

"Fletchinder, the Ember Pokemon, and the evolved form of Fletchling. The hotter the flame sac on its belly, the faster it can fly, but it takes some time to get the fire going."

Thomas then pointed the Pokedex at the larger birds and scanned them.

"Talonflame, the Scorching Pokemon, and the final evolved form of Fletchling. When attacking prey, it can reach speeds of up to 310 miles per hour. It finishes its prey off with a colossal kick."

Turning to his left, Thomas spotted Fletchling and noticed he was trembling. The continuous squawks from each Talonflame, as well as the Fletchinder, flooded the airwaves, making it difficult for anyone to think. In the blink of an eye, one of the Fletchinder swooped down while engulfed in flames and closed in on Fletchling at light speed. Thomas and Treecko were unable to do a thing, and the attack landed, causing a massive explosion to occur and hurl them about thirty feet back.

After rolling to a stop, the brunette looked up from the grass and spotted the four birds flying in a circle over the area where Fletchling had been, but the robin was nowhere to be found. Just as he was about to call out for the creature, Thomas felt something tap his back, so he sat upright and turned to see Treecko shaking like a wet dog.

"Are you hurt?" he asked while examining his starter, who blinked once and went wide-eyed.

She remained silent as Thomas sprayed her with a Potion, and the cries from Talonflame and Fletchinder continued to bounced around the area. After he rose to his feet and turned to look at the wild Pokemon, Thomas began to walk out into the open.

"Chling!"

Fletchling whizzed through the air with both wings tucked into his sides, and he closed in on the Fletchinder that had attacked him earlier. He let out one final grunt before thrusting his head forward, but the attack missed and one of the two Talonflame reached out with its legs. Snapping its talons on Fletchling's wings, the other Talonflame reared its head back and unleashed a Flamethrower attack. The smallest of the group was swallowed in fire and shrieked at the top of his lungs.

The unrelenting attack even burnt the other Talonflame, though the Fire-type brushed it off without a problem. Fletchling, however, was unable to do so, and continued to squawk bloody murder. Thomas looked on and clenched his fists so tightly his arms shook, and Treecko took notice.

In one swift motion, the brunette shot up and burst out of the woods.

"Leave him alone you cowards!" Thomas screamed as he grabbed a rock and hurled it at the attacking Talonflame. The powerful Pokemon was drilled in the head and its attack was stopped, drawing a fist pump from Thomas. Much to his dismay, the rock didn't do nearly enough damage, and the Talonflame he hit locked its sights on him.

"Oh lord," Treecko muttered as she face-palmed. "R-R-Run!"

Her trainer didn't listen, as evidenced by him grabbing another rock. Hurling it at the other Talonflame and striking, Thomas pumped his fist once again, though his celebration was cut short when he saw Fletchling fall lifelessly.

"Treecko, grab 'em!"

The aforementioned Pokemon obeyed without hesitation and darted through the trees. Springing from one of the branches, she caught Fletchling and did a flip before landing. The pair of Talonflame and Fletchinder squawked like lunatics at the sight and each of them executed Flame Charge attacks.

"GAH! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Thomas hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Treecko didn't need a second invitation, as she bolted with wide-eyes. The squawks only grew louder as the four birds closed in on her, and the intense heat radiating from their attacks caused her panicked sweating to amplify. She then spotted an opening to the road, as did Thomas, and they hauled tail to get there. But their attackers were relentless and followed. Even as the rookie trainer and his starter ran for Oldale Town, they were unable to shake their pursuers, who continued to close the gap.

Treecko turned back for a split second and saw how close the fearsome birds were, and she suddenly tripped over a twig. She face-planted and Fletchling was sent tumbling along the road, causing Thomas to spin around and rush towards both his starter and the injured Pokemon. By the time he reached them, there was no escaping any of the attackers, so he braced for impact while shielding Treecko and Fletchling. The latter cracked his eyes open and attempted to intervene, but someone else beat him to the punch.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"

A massive orb of shadows entered Thomas' field of vision and he watched as three more appeared, each slamming into the attackers. The force of impact sent them in the opposite direction, leaving Thomas slack-jawed until he saw a purple Pokemon step in front of him.

"Nice shot!" a feminine voice exclaimed, drawing Thomas' attention. Just as he began to turn around, a girl with long, flowing purple hair saunter by him and stop right next to the Gengar. Her hand fell on the Ghost-type's head, eliciting a cackle from the Kanto Pokemon.

"That's why we train."

The young woman, who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, nodded in response, only to point at the quartet of birds once they ascended.

"Make sure to hit 'em with another one if they so much as think about attacking."

Each of the wild Pokemon turned a ghostly white and immediately took off in the other direction, drawing a sigh of relief from Thomas, Treecko, and especially Fletchling. Upon doing so, the three attracted the attention of the unfamiliar girl and her Gengar.

"Need a hand?" the pair of strangers asked in unison.

Treecko and Thomas turned to one another, the former sweating profusely while her skin burned red while her trainer shook his head. He rose to his feet without assistance and proceeded to scoop up Fletchling despite his protesting. The purple-haired trainer scowled as Thomas turned away without so much as a thank you, but her glare softened when he waved like a robot, masking his beet red face.

 **000**

"Keep it going, Torchic! Ember!"

Covered in mud and sweat, the aforementioned Fire-type began to perform the attack. However, his wobbling legs suddenly gave out and he smacked against the ground face-first in front of a wild Taillow. While Ashley nearly burst a blood vessel, a pair of figures stood in the shadows of the forest and watched carefully. She had driven Torchic into the ground through a literal day of training without a single break. Nonstop fighting with the Pokemon living in the area and verbal whippings were about the only things that happened, leaving the two spectators enraged.

"Get up, dammit! Get the hell up!" Ashley screamed. She then stomped as Torchic fought with all his might in an attempt to rise, but he was unable to do so. Collapsing after nearly standing up, the exhausted creature let out a weak cry before going silent.

The Taillow seized its opportunity to strike and shot forwards while its beak glowed white. At that very moment, one of the two figures that had been watching burst out of the woods right before the Taillow could strike Torchic, and it was consumed in a wave of flames.

Ashley's neck twisted towards the new combatant and began to cuss wildly when she saw the Taillow fly away. Amid the young woman's tirade, the unidentified Pokemon hurried over to Torchic's side and picked him up. Just as it began walking away, the Pokemon was stopped by Ashley whistling, and it turned to face her.

It had long hair that fell to its shoulders in the shape of a V, and its body was primarily red. Its feet were yellow, and both hands were gray with talons, making it resemble a chicken of sorts. The black-haired girl continued to glare in silence, seemingly unaware of the second figure that had emerged from the shadows. Once it made its way over to the Pokemon's side, it turned.

Standing before Ashley was a brown-haired man wearing a simple pair of blue jeans with a Pokeball belt, a red shirt, and a gray jacket. The familiar Pokemon standing by his side and holding Torchic in its hands was one Ashley had known for quite some time, as did the rest of the Pokemon World. It was a Blaziken, one of the most powerful Pokemon of all, and the particular one standing beside the man was significantly more muscular than those Ashley had seen. Two flames were burning from its wrists, and the same intensity was present in its eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ashley interrogated as she reached for her starter, only to be denied by the unfamiliar Blaziken.

The man stared at her, his expression remaining one of stone. Whoever he was, it was clear he wasn't happy.

"I'm the kind of guy that isn't going to walk by while you mistreat your Pokemon!" he answered back angrily. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ashley stared daggers at her elder and continued to do so, even though it didn't seem as if he was about to back down from her. The two continued their staring contest, neither wavering in their pursuit of victory, until the Blaziken finally moved forward slightly, his eyes glued to Torchic.

"This Pokemon trusts you to raise him right; he trusts you to keep him safe during battle," the Blaziken spoke in a low, mechanical voice. "You completely disregarded that and watched as he was almost knocked out."

"And who the hell made up these rules!?"

Silence fell over the group, and the young woman continued to glare.

"You're not its trainer, so get out of here, old man." Ashley once again reached for Torchic, but this time, the man stonewalled her, extending both of his arms as far out to the side as possible.

"You just don't get it!" he roared. The man walked one step forward, getting closer to Ashley. "Torchic's well being is all on you, and you're perfectly content watching on the sidelines as he gets beaten to a pulp!" He looked to the side, trying to calm himself. "You obviously don't even deserve to be a Pokemon trainer with that mentality."

With that, he pulled an odd, star-shaped object out of his pocket and handed it to his trusty Pokemon. Blaziken took it after slowly extending his hand and then fed it to Torchic, prompting Ashley to shoot forwards with a panicked expression on her face.

"What the hell did you just do to him!?" she screamed, reaching for her starter yet again.

The man, once again, extended his arms outwards, stopping her from taking back the injured Pokemon. He glared at the teen once more.

"I gave him a revive; it'll heal him. As a trainer, you should have given him healing items after battle, so he wouldn't get to this state!" he yelled. "For some reason, I'm saying the same thing over and over! If you're going to be a trainer, you need to care for Torchic!"

Ashley pulled her arms back and watched as the stranger and his Blaziken began walking back towards the Pokemon Center, leaving her in the darkness. She reached out for her elder but stopped, knowing he didn't have eyes in the back of his head.

After clenching her fists and stomping on the ground, she cried, "I don't care who you are, or what you do!" Neither trainer nor Pokemon turned, prompting Ashley to continue screaming. "But when I get stronger on my own, I swear, I'm gonna find you and kick your ass in a battle! Just you wait!"

The man glanced over his shoulder, barely acknowledging the tantrum, and remarked, "I told your mother I'd look out for you, but not if you are going to treat your Torchic this way. I refuse."

* * *

 **What? No capture? Yeah, that won't happen until next chapter. With that being said, Thomas' team will be structured like all of Gray's, with each Pokemon being from a different region, plus no overlapping types. However, each will have a very, very odd personality, if I do say so myself. As for next chapter, Thomas and Treecko will make their way through Petalburg Woods, and Ashley will have to work with Torchic in a less dangerous way, so that should be fun. Till next time, peace out.**

 **Also, thanks to Warrior of Hope for helping me write that scene involving Ashley and the guy with a Blaziken! Make sure you check out his story _'The Quest for Greatness: Hoenn'_**

 **1\. What do you think Thomas' final team will be? (No type-overlap, no two Pokemon from the same region)  
2\. Who are the people Thomas and Ashley met?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "The Early Bird Gets the Early Worm"**_

 _ **In the middle of their trek through Petalburg Woods, Thomas and Treecko are attacked by a group of wild Pokemon! Lucky for them, someone steps in and lends a helping hand! Will the duo escape with the help of this new ally?**_

* * *

 **Rustboro City Arc**

 **Chapter 4: Rampage in Rustboro  
** **Chapter 5: The Girl  
Chapter 6: Dueling the Dancing Duo** **!** **  
Chapter 7: A Spirit in Critical Condition  
Chapter 8: Emerging from the Rockslide**


	3. The Early Bird Gets the Early Worm

**Ah, another update. Last chapter, Thomas and Treecko got off to a rough start when they met an injured Fletchling with a bit of an attitude and were attacked by a pair of Fletchinder and Talonflame. Lucky for them, a girl with a Gengar defeated the attackers. Meanwhile, Ashley trained Torchic so hard he collapsed, prompting intervention from a man and his Blaziken. Said man, as some of you guessed, is Will Knight, _Warrior of Hope_ 's OC in his story _"The Quest for Greatness: Hoenn!"_ and he'll make a few appearances, so make sure to read TQG to learn more about 'em!  
As for this chapter, it will feature the first capture of the story, and this particular Pokemon is my favorite on the team. Also, I changed one of the titles in the arc preview, so make sure to check that out. Now let's get going!**

 **dragonplayer18:** _Oh, they'll remember her alright xD Despite her flaws, Ashley will most likely be the best character in the story, so it's only a matter of time before you (hopefully) start to like her. Thomas is similar in that he doesn't show any support verbally, but that'll change. Fletchling's personality will also be on full display in this chapter... so yeah, that's gonna be entertaining xD Puns tho_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Thanks, and it was weirdly reminiscent, right? I didn't intend for that, but I'll take it! Thomas and Ashley are a lot different than Owen and Gray, and their battling styles should be way different (Thomas', at least). The team Thomas gets will be oddly stacked, but their personalities... oh god xD The Gengar girl will play a very important role, though no one should know her, and you were right about Will and Pyro! They're going to appear semi-frequently for a few arcs. Very good questions that should be answered in time :P_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Lol, those are some high standards, sir. Character development and pacing are my main focuses for this story, so battles are going to be less frequent (relative to the other stories). Treecko will be the only soft-spoken member of Thomas' team, so her personality should be accented. Thomas will become more likable... or less hatable xD The same can be said for Ashley, though I think everyone will love her in the end. As for the team, that looks awesome! Thanks for the support (I will go out with a bang, I hope)!_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Hype, indeed! Thomas' goal for this arc and the next will be to get out of Hoenn, but that'll change. You're right about him not liking the whole affection side of things, but he and Treecko will have some small bonding moments pretty frequently, so that's something to look forward to. Ashley2k16 tho xD I think you'll continue to feel bad for Torchic until Ashley decides to pull her head out of her ass. The teams tho... yis. Emolga's incredibly interesting; I might have to reconsider the Unova pick_

 **MCMXCV:** _Oh man, Fletchling's a character. Once you get to see the way he speaks you'll die. Thomas isn't bland like Owen or Gray, thankfully, and I can't wait to see how he evolves over the course of the story. Once again, you're spot on with the assessment of him. Kudos. Over time he'll learn to let his guard down, but for now, that won't be the case. Treecko's skittish nature will be a staple of her character throughout, but once she does gain some confidence, she's going to be a wrecking ball, no doubt. As for Ashley, yes, she's like Thomas in that she has a sole focus, and they may help each other grow, though not in the way that you think xD Also, Beedrill was originally supposed to be on the team, but was scrapped at the last second T-T That's a great roster though!_

 **Delta Edge:** _Both his and Ashley's will be structured like that, so that should make their potential rivalry a bit more fun. Development-wise, Ashley will be a great rival for Thomas, and vice versa, for reasons that will be revealed way down the road. Froslass was originally the pick for Sinnoh, but sadly, that overlapped with another character, so she was switched. And great question! Sceptile won't be receiving a Mega Evolution, so there won't be a problem with that, though if she did, I'd refrain from putting a Dragon-type on Thomas' team. Brendan's a very interesting guess as well_

 **JustinThePokemonMaster:** _Thanks! Shame on you for hating Ashley, even though all you've seen is her being an ass xD You'll love her in time. In regards to the predictions, I like 'em! Vanilluxe is very underrated and could make for an interesting choice_

 **Huge Fan:** _Well thanks! I'm hoping each chapter is better than the last, and character development's a huge focus for me this time around, so Thomas' dick-like attitude will fade a bit with each update. MCMXCV summed it up pretty well with why Ashley's acting the way she is, and definitely check out Warrior of Hope's stuff!_

 **Blaze Falcon:** _That can't be any more true xD Fletchling is going to join Thomas, and he's arguably my favorite character on the team. His attitude, which you'll see A LOT of, despite being what it is, makes him extremely likable (dare I say lovable). Ashley's training methods will pay dividends in the power department, and it's safe to say Torchic's a far higher level than Treecko. As for the team, I love it, though it won't be comprised of true powerhouses (i.e T-tar and Haxorus). Will Knight puns tho xD_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 5, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed**

* * *

Stretching his arms up over his head while yawning, Thomas heard Treecko do the same. He turned, glanced at the Grass-type walking by his side, and nodded at her before they headed off for Route 102. The previous day's antics had drained them of any energy to continue trekking along, so the night was spent at the Pokemon Center. Fletchling, who had suffered significant damage from the pairs of Talonflame and Fletchinder, had been cleared to leave, and he did, though it wasn't alone.

"Fletch!"

Both Treecko and Thomas turned towards the sound and watched as the familiar robin zipped out of the Pokemon Center and landed a few feet away from them. He stared intently before pointing at Treecko. Thomas turned to his starter and watched as she began to sweat profusely while her skin burned red.

Fletchling then motioned towards his neck, ceasing Treecko's shaking. After exhaling deeply, she began to speak.

"W-what do you w-w-want?"

"Chling! Flet!"

Treecko stared for a moment and then turned to Thomas, who motioned with one hand for her to translate. She sighed but did as her trainer instructed.

"He s-said he wan-wants to off-offer a hand."

Thomas tilted his head and then turned to the wild Pokemon as it folded its wings over its chest. Fletchling let out an inaudible chirp while turning his head away from the duo, but Thomas paid it no attention. Instead, he pulled out his Pokedex and turned on the translator, resulting in a sigh of relief from Treecko.

"Why don't _you_ tell us what you were saying?" the seventeen year old asked rhetorically, drawing an intense glare from Fletchling.

"Okay, ya strunz, if dat's what cha want, so be it."

Treecko deadpanned at the mobster-like accent from Fletchling while Thomas suppressed laughter, though it didn't seem as if Fletchling noticed either of their reactions. He continued to hold his gaze while the trainer before him turned away and took a moment to compose himself.

"Look, it was uh... kinda cool dat cha lent a hand, so I figyuhed I'd do da same," the Flying-type stated, his accent making it difficult for Thomas and Treecko to understand. "But I gots a list o' conditions dat must be met."

The robin cleared his throat while his audience remained silent. The looks on their faces said it all, though Fletchling's apparent lack of caring was more than enough to ignore Thomas and Treecko.

"I don't wanna get stupid orduhs or nuthin' of the sohts, capiche?"

Thomas stared at Fletchling and listened to the Pokedex's translation of what he had said. His gaze hardened, but Fletchling walked forward and smacked his head against the human's. Both growled at one another furiously while Treecko looked on intently. Suddenly, Thomas leaned back and huffed, only to concede defeat.

"Fine. I'll try not to give stupid orders."

Fletchling grinned and tapped his wing against his chest, saying, "Good. Dis unit we has right now is gunna put in wuhk."

Treecko continued to deadpan at the translation while Thomas could only stare at the robin in bewilderment. How could that small of a creature speak in such a hulking manner? The expressions didn't change, leaving Fletchling in a confused state as he waved his wing in front of Thomas' face, hoping to draw his attention.

"Ay! Babbo!"

The crack of Fletchling's voice, courtesy of the Pokedex, snapped both trainer and Pokemon out of their thoughts, and they turned their attention towards the Flying-type.

"So is youse gonna capsha me? The offuh's off da table in tree seconds," he announced, only for Thomas to crack a smile at his butchered form of English. However, the brunette squatted, pulled a Poke Ball off his belt, and extended the capsule towards Fletchling's face.

The tiny bird didn't reach for the button in the middle, and he continued staring Thomas down, to the point the young man sweat-dropped along with Treecko. Still, Thomas didn't say a word and held his pose. His arm began shaking after about ten seconds and he continued perspiring. Fletchling hardened his already-fearsome glare, sending chills down his soon-to-be trainer's spine.

"The hell's the mattuh wit cha?" he questioned, puffing his chest out. "I ain't gonna be da only one to say somethin' sappy, ya strunz!"

"St-st-strunz?" Treecko asked. Fletchling's neck snapped to the right and his eyes locked onto the Grass-type before he gave an emphatic nod and pounded his chest.

"Dat's right, Dollface."

"W-what does that mean?"

"Piece o' shit."

Thomas dropped the Poke Ball and threw his other arm forward, but Fletchling shot into the air and evaded. Sighing as he watched Thomas spit grass out of his mouth, the robin muttered, "Looks like I hit a soft spot. Shit." Grounding as quickly as he ascended, Fletchling extended a wing, which Thomas took while being helped to his feet.

"Sorry 'bout dat, Boss."

Treecko looked on as Thomas sighed and shook his head.

"It's... okay. It's my fault."

Both of the Pokemon smiled upon hearing their trainer's response, and he looked up from the ground. "I don't know if you still want to join, but we'd be happy to have you. Right, Treecko?" Thomas said as he turned to his starter.

The gecko jumped and let out a shriek, eliciting hearty laughter from Fletchling, and even a slight chuckle from Thomas. Seeing the reactions from both males, Treecko cracked a smile of her own and joined in on the laughter. A few moments later, Thomas reached for the Poke Ball on the ground and held it out for Fletchling.

"Ay," the robin began, "what's ya goal? I want ta beat up dem Gym Leaduhs; I ain't dressin' up for no prissy contest shit."

Thomas' smile disappeared in a flash.

"We're battling Gym Leaders."

That was all Fletchling needed to hear, as he immediately slapped his wing against the white button of the Poke Ball. The device opened and a red beam of light covered the winged Pokemon's body. He then disappeared inside and it snapped shut before wiggling left, right, and left.

1...

2...

3...

Ping!

Treecko scampered over to Thomas' side and marveled at her teammate's Poke Ball, even as her trainer tossed the device high into the air.

"Fletchling, come out!"

A burst of light poured out and Fletchling materialized from it. He glided along the winds and eventually landed on Thomas' shoulder. The brunette flinched and eyed his newly-caught Pokemon, who shouted, "What ah we doin' sittin' 'round waitin'? Let's get goin'!"

Thomas rolled his eyes immediately while Treecko kept quiet and stuck to her trainer's side. While they left Oldale Town's borders, none of the three were aware of a young, purple-haired woman standing next to a Gengar.

"Ay, Dollface! Wanna be my goomah?"

She giggled at Fletchling's obnoxious question, which had been aimed at Treecko, but stopped when she felt Gengar's dark red eyes staring through her. Upon turning, the trainer turned and patted the Ghost-type on the head. Her gaze remained cold, though, and Gengar put her hands on her hips.

"What's with you and that kid?"

The young woman smiled and shrugged, her arms flopping as a result of the lax motion.

"He's interesting, that's all."

"You only saw him one time, and he was about to get ripped to shreds by wild Pokemon. There's nothing interesting about that." Gengar looked up at her trainer and sighed upon realizing she was still watched Thomas. "Seriously, we can't waste time, and you know that! We have to train if-"

"Relax, okay?"

Gengar stood upright at the sound of her trainer's voice cracking in the air. Both of her pale hands had balled into fists, and her shoulders had risen considerably.

"I'm fully aware of our training schedule, but just look at 'em!" she ordered, prompting the fat creature to follow Thomas' movements. "Don't you remember when _we_ were like that? I would've liked to have someone who could give me advice, so why wouldn't I do that for someone that's in a similar situation?"

Gengar cursed under her breath and waved the white flag with a nod. The purple-haired woman beamed in response before pursuing Thomas at a sluggish pace. As she and Gengar walked down the street, a girl, maybe seventeen years of age, brushed by with a Torchic in tow.

Neither trainer said a word, instead opting to exchange agitated glances. Torchic, however, stopped and bowed to the pair of strangers and said, "Sorry about that," and then took off.

Gengar and her trainer smiled at the Pokemon but resumed their pursuit of Thomas.

 **000**

"Petalburg Woods," Thomas said aloud once he read the sign outside the entrance. Gigantic trees hung over the path leading into the forest and seemingly went on forever. While she trembled at the sight of such large trees, Treecko's ears perked up. She looked up to see Fletchling descend with a few flaps of his wings, covered in sweat, and he landed on Thomas' shoulder. The brunette recoiled at his Pokemon's touch and scowled, yet the Normal-type remained unaware and spoke.

"Man, dey got a big lot o' trees heuh. I almost didn't reach da top," he informed Thomas and Treecko, the latter of whom hung her head in response. "Ay, no need to worry, Dollface, I'll protect ya!" Fletchling flashed a stupid smile and pounded his chest with his right wing. The proclamation only worsened Treecko's morale, but she snapped out of her sulking when she heard Thomas' footsteps growing more and more distant.

Without a word, she ran after the Alolan and into the darkness of Petalburg Woods. They followed the dirt path for roughly five minutes before Treecko's eyes went wide. Millions of leaves from the woods' trees blocked most of the sun's light, though just enough got through to illuminate the area. Dark-green vines dropped from branches and Pokemon of all sorts ran about playing with one another. While Treecko gaped at the environment and Thomas hid glances, Fletchling flapped his wings and ascended. He disappeared in the leaves overhead and quickly returned to his trainer, who motioned for him to speak.

"Da path's windy like a snake, but da exit ain't too fah."

Treecko's jaw hit the ground and she brought both hands to her head. Dropping to both of her knees, she thought, _Why? This place is so nice!_ Once she snapped out of her depression, the gecko looked for Thomas and Fletchling, but they were gone. Chills coursed through Treecko's body and her neck whipped in several different directions. A light breeze entered the woods and the tree leaves rustled, grabbing Treecko's attention. Her shaking grew more violent even as she walked around in search of her team, and the sound of rustling made it even worse.

"W-w-who's th-there?" she stammered in silence.

The volume Treecko had desired stopped and expanded in her throat. The feeling of such a powerful force searching for an escape was unbearable, causing Treecko to fall to her knees. Tears swelled in her eyes, then splattered against the ground while her throat was ablaze. It was comparable to squeezing a balloon with all one's might - Treecko knew she was going to blow, but when?

A trio of Wurmple that had been playing in the trees above heard constant sniffling, so they swung towards the source. Each of the them hung right above Treecko due to the strength of their respective String Shot attacks before exchanging wicked smirks. The one in the middle wiggled every white spike running along the sides of its body, before dropping from the tree along with its buddies.

 **000**

Thomas' repeated glances at the Pokemon in the woods went unnoticed, but he stopped abruptly when a light breeze hit his back. Fletchling, who had been flying about freely, let out a cheer and used the wind to push beyond his max velocity. The increase in speed was short-lived, however, drawing a sigh from the Normal-type as he turned to Thomas.

"You see dat, Dollface?" he asked, only to fly to the right and search for Treecko. "Ay, Boss," Fletchling called, drawing Thomas' attention. "What happened to uh... what's da gecko's name?"

"Treecko."

"Yeah, dat's it. Wheah'd she run off tuh?" Thomas and Fletchling looked around the area and saw dozens of Pokemon that weren't Treecko. "Do ya think she's by da entrance?"

Just as Thomas was about to speak, a shrill scream exploded in the distance and captured his attention, as well as that of Fletchling's. The two exchanged nods and retraced their steps at a breakneck pace, with Fletchling navigating through hanging branches and Thomas avoiding roots that had pierced through the Earth's surface. The brunette lifted his gaze upon turning the corner, which was where his foot got caught on a thick root shaped like an arch.

"Shit!" he spat, lifting his head from the ground. Once he did, Fletchling descended and entered the field of vision. "Don't worry about me. Go get Treecko!" Thomas ordered, drawing a salute from the tiny Pokemon. With that, Fletchling kicked it into hyperdrive by tucking his wings into his sides.

He made one sharp turn after another until finally reaching the entrance, where he found Treecko diving away from waves of white arrows that had randomly dropped out of the leaves above. Another wave crashed down towards Treecko while she was still laying on the ground, and she let out another scream. The arrows exploding drowned out the sound of her cries while a cloud of smoke swallowed the area whole, though not for long.

Fletchling emerged from the body of carbon, gripping Treecko with his talons as he landed gently a few yards away. Releasing his grip on the gecko, Fletchling extended both wings to either side and then pounded his chest like a gorilla, even as his teammate opened her eyes and rose to her feet.

 _He came back to save me?_ Treecko thought, staring at the Flying-type in silence. The robin turned upon hearing his teammate move, and a slick grin formed on his face.

"Didn't I say I'd protect ya, Dollface?"

Treecko flinched at the question and lowered her gaze to the ground she was standing on. Fletchling continued to give a sly grin until he saw the Grass-type shaking. Being the gentleman he was, the Kalosian Pokemon sighed and placed a wing on the rattled Pokemon's shoulder, but she didn't look up.

"Do ya know who attacked ya?"

Nothing. The shaking continued, but it was accompanied by sniffling. It rang in Fletchling's ears while his eyes were glued to the shattered Pokemon. His chest began to burn, and the intense sensation made its way all over and throughout his body.

The Wurmple lurking in the leaves up above sneered at the sight and nodded at one another after pointing at Fletchling, unaware of his boiling blood. Nodding once again, the three Bug-types split up and positioned themselves in a triangle around their new target, as well as Treecko. While the starter remained motionless, Fletchling lowered his head and began to lower himself to the ground. Suddenly, he stuck a wing out to his side, making Treecko lift her gaze.

"Don't worry, Treecko." The aforementioned Pokemon's eyes widened upon hearing her name escape Fletchling's mouth, and he kept speaking. "Unlike some people," he began, spitting the words out, each more violently than the last, "I ain't da type-uh guy dat goes back on a promise."

Each of the Wurmple reared their heads back and prepared another attack.

"'Specially when it's to a pretty girl like yaself."

Without another word, Fletchling burst into the air with a trail of white light following his path. The force with which he ascended was so great Treecko had been sent tumbling along the ground while the Pokemon in the trees darted away. Even the leaves themselves were ripped from their branches, revealing all of the Wurmple.

"Use Peck on them!" a ferocious voice cried from behind Treecko. She turned and spotted Thomas standing about ten feet behind her with his fist punched towards the sky and an intense flame burning in his eyes.

Fletchling let out a fearsome squawk as he closed in on the first of the Wurmple, and he threw his head forwards as soon as his beak extended and glowed white. Before the villainous creature could even think of countering, Fletchling had struck - and he struck hard. Treecko's eyes tracked the Wurmple's limp body whipping through the air until it flew out of the woods - or at least the area they were in - and out of sight.

"Good! Now do that two more times!" Thomas shouted after pointing at the remaining two enemies.

Turning on a dime, Fletchling delivered wicked blows to the others just like he had before, and he let out another squawk while beating his chest with both wings. While the bird was busy celebrating his victory, Thomas rushed over to Treecko's side and rummaged through his backpack.

"Are you okay? Those Wurmple didn't hurt you, did they, Treecko?"

She opened her mouth and tried speaking, but not a single word was mustered. Treecko sighed while lowering her head, unaware of Thomas leaning in closer to her, and she gave a short nod. Upon looking up from the ground, the gecko let out a deafening shriek when she saw Thomas' face a mere inch away from her own.

Both trainer and Pokemon fell on their back, grabbed their chests, and panted wildly before looking at one another. Fletchling dropped out of the sky and landed in-between them, laughing and wiping a tear from his eye as he did so.

"Youse two are babbos! I'll tell ya, if someone's gonna scream once a day, I might whack ya."

Thomas' face twisted at the comment and backed away from his Pokemon who looked on in confusion for a moment before sharing a similar reaction.

"I didn't mean it like dat, ya freak! Jeez, and just when I was thinkin' you were a normal guy."

Silence fell over the trio for a brief moment until Fletchling broke out laughing, drawing laughter from the others as well. Once the laughter ceased and Treecko was given a Potion, Thomas and his Pokemon attempted to navigate their way back to the exit.

Although he remained silent and didn't look at either of his companions, Thomas allowed a smile to break out, albeit barely.

 _Maybe Hoenn isn't so bad after all._

 **000**

"Torchic, use Ember now!"

Doing just as he was told, Torchic shot bullets of fire from his mouth without hesitation. His target, a blue bird with puffy, white wings, let out a shrill chirp before being pelted by the Fire-type attack. The injured Pokemon fell from the air and smacked against the ground, causing her trainer to rush onto the battlefield.

"Ali!" she screamed before reaching the charred Pokemon's side. "You were dazzling. Thank you so much." The Pokemon, a Swablu, opened its tiny eyes and a weak grunt escaped her white beak before she went unconscious.

"Because both of Lisia's Pokemon have been defeated, Ashley, Torchic, and Taillow are the winners!" a trainer acting as referee yelled while pointing at the victors with his Buneary doing the same.

The black-haired girl walked over to her opponent, who was standing in the middle of the battlefield, and nodded. Torchic, who was covered in deep bruises and about a hundred cuts made his way to Ashley's side and smiled at the opposing trainer.

"I thought we had you," Lisia began as she locked eyes with Ashley, "but then that little guy took out Bell and Ali. Great job, Torchic!"

The chicken bowed to Lisia several times despite his legs wobbling like jello, but Ashley paid it no attention.

"Make sure to tell your Taillow he was great too!"

Ashley shook her head and plucked the Flying-type's Poke Ball off her belt, confusing both Lisia and the boy that had served as the ref for the battle. She then tapped the white button in the middle, forcing the device to snap open, as well as reveal Taillow.

The tiny bird looked between his trainer and Lisia before spotting Torchic and smiling, which was returned by the Fire-type.

"You can go," the ruby-eyed girl stated as she stepped forward. Ashley's leg landing in-between Torchic and Taillow prevented either from looking at the other, so they were forced to stare at her.

Lisia and the boy also stared in silence. They were frozen in place and could only watch Taillow give his trainer a stunned expression. Her confidence remained unwavering and she stared the Flying-type in the eye. Right when he attempted to speak, Taillow was silenced by Ashley sticking her hand out in front of herself.

"I said you can go, so go."

"What!?" Lisia snapped while stomping. Ashley turned towards her with a disgusted look and held it, but that didn't stop the blue-haired trainer from intervening. "You're really releasing Taillow?"

"That's right, he's not strong enough. I already have to spend hours training this weakling, so it's a waste of time for both him and myself."

After adjusting her gold headband, Ashley turned away from the Taillow and strolled towards the Pokemon Center's doors.

"What a jerk," she heard the boy say. "That's no way to treat a Pokemon."

"Yeah. Taillow, I want you to come with me!"

Ashley scoffed at the offer, and the doors shut behind her before Taillow could respond. She kept walking as if nothing happened, but Torchic didn't. He continued to watch the scene and cheered when Taillow leaped into the pretty girl's arms with tears.

"Hey, Ashley?" the Fire-type called, prompting the young woman to turn slightly. "Uh... I know it's not my choice, but..." Torchic trailed off and looked back out the glass doors.

Taillow was playing with his new teammates, and _smiling_.

"Can you maybe keep the next Pokemon you catch? I don't like losing fr-"

"If it's stronger than that useless Wingull and pathetic Taillow, then yeah, it's staying." The clacking sound of Ashley's boots hitting the floor bounced off the walls and dove into Torchic's ears as he kept staring at his former teammate. "Come on, Torchic!"

The Fire-type obeyed like a robot and turned away from the glass before breaking into a sprint for Ashley.

"Now that I know which Flying-types are actually worth my time, I can set my sights on it," she muttered to herself while Torchic was still out of earshot.

 _I will build the perfect team, and I'll build it my own way!_

* * *

 **I know the title didn't make much sense in regards to the capture of Fletchling (kind of), but whatever. Anyways, Fletchling saved Treecko from, and beat the crap out of a group of Wurmple after joining the team, and he has quite the personality. Unlike most birds in my other stories, he's going to be a key contributor to the team. Meanwhile, Ashley and Torchic defeated Lisia and her Swablu, Ali, but because Ashley wasn't satisfied with her Taillow's performance, she released it.  
The next chapter will focus on Thomas' arrival in Rustboro City and some shenanigans that will ensue, as well as some more of everyone's favorite bird, Fletchy-boy! Till then, peace out.**

 **1\. Thoughts on Fletchling? (He's supposed to speak like a mobster, in case anyone was wondering)  
2\. Why does Ashley insist on building a perfect team her own way?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Rampage in Rustboro"**_

 _ **Thomas, Treecko, and Fletchling arrive in Rustboro City in need of rest, but when the opportunity to challenge the Gym appears, they leap at it. Much to their dismay, the trio is tricked into helping Roxanne, the Gym Leader, with a project involving prehistoric Pokemon. Things take a turn for the worse, though, when the Pokemon escape to fight an old foe of theirs, forcing the group to intervene. Can these prehistoric Pokemon be stopped before they do anything crazy?**_

* * *

 **Rustboro City Arc**

 **Chapter 5: The Girl  
Chapter 6: Dueling the Dancing Duo** **!** **  
Chapter 7: A Spirit in Critical Condition  
Chapter 8: Emerging from the Rockslide**


	4. Rampage in Rustboro

**Ay, folks (that's all I've got)! Last chapter, Thomas caught Fletchling, and they, as well as Treecko, ventured into Petalburg Woods. There, Treecko got lost and was attacked by three Wurmple, but Fletchling and Thomas sprung into action and made quick work of their foes.  
As that happened, Ashley defeated a girl named Lisia and proceeded to release her Taillow because she thought it was too weak. She then mentioned something about building the perfect team her own way, and that's where things ended.  
This chapter will focus on Thomas arriving in Rustboro and helping Roxanne stop a group of prehistoric Pokemon from attacking an old foe of theirs (sorry for the sudden plot change).  
** **Also, to those of you that have reviewed/favorited/followed, thank you so much! 36 awesome reviews in 3 chapters is unbelievable, and I want to produce my best content ever because of it, so** **let's get going!**

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Yes, yes he is. Too bad it'll fall apart soon :P Ashley's attitude won't change for a while, but you'll get to learn about her and why she is the way she is. And thanks! I haven't done well with cold rivals, which is why I'm focusing on Ashley instead of her going to the rival realm xD I can't stop thinking about Fletchling like that either, and I think he'll be the funniest throughout, though he'll get a partner in crime later. Both ideas about Ashley are great, and right, but there's a bit more to it. Thanks for the review!_

 **JustinThePokemonMaster:** _Fletchling is the bird of the people! Fletchling2k16! Seriously though, as a character, he's my favorite one of Thomas' Pokemon, with his future partner in crime and Sceptile tied at second. Ashley is going to resemble Paul (my favorite rival in the anime in terms of character) for a little while before taking on a personality like Ariel's. You'll eventually learn why she acts like an ass, and there's no need to fear for Torchic. He'll be fine :D_

 **MCMXCV:** _Thanks! I was hoping I didn't have Thomas take an enormous step, so that's a relief. Treecko's a lovable goon xD Thanks again! While he may not immediately make her become confident, Fletchling's presence is crucial for Treecko's development, and I like that you mentioned the bit about compassion, because that's also going to be prevalent in the future. As for Ashley, her mysteriousness will continue for a few arcs before y'all finally get some hints regarding why she acts like an ass, and it will be a good reason, trust me. Gengar Girl tho, lol. Details about her are coming sooner than Ashley, but it'll be another arc or so before you get anything regarding what she's training for (good guesses, btw)_

 **Delta Edge:** _Although it's overused, I couldn't help myself xD Most of Thomas' team members will have unique schticks you've never seen before (I know I haven't), since creating identities is one of the main things I'm working on with this story_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Yesss! Fletchling is running away with the vote here xD Once Thomas gets another Pokemon or two, Fletchling won't be speaking as much, which I think will make him even funnier. Treecko, on the other hand, is so... weak; she's the complete opposite of Fletchy, although, like you said, it's nice to see Thomas showing some concern for her well-being. And just wait a few arcs. In her rivalry with Tom, Ashley will always be like Paul in regards to her team and strategy, but she'll grow out of her current personality. Also, I like your going hypothesis about the construction of her team!_

 **TheGreat0ne:** _That song is too perfect, holy crap. It's safe to say Fletchling's the favorite so far, though only time will tell if that's the case when other captures happen. Ashley is the girl version of Paul, and she'll absolutely be a rival for Tom. In fact, she's the main one. Still, Ashley's going to steal the show during parts of Dewford and most of Mauville. And don't worry about a Bella-tens situation, I've planned for each member to star in their own arc, although some members are bound to get more attention. Also, thanks for pointing out the_ _screen-time_ _issue!_ _The difference in length between their scenes shouldn't be one-sided for long, but right now I want to establish identities for Tom and his team._ _Almost forgot: that isn't Rei in the theme. She, Gray, and Owen aren't going to be in this (though they might be mentioned by name)_

 **dragonplayer18:** _I know, right? And thanks! I wanted to challenge myself and make the team members stick out, so I gave everyone but Treecko a ridiculous personality xD A prehistoric Pokemon's an excellent guess, but you'll have to find out if you're right :P She is a more hardcore version of Paul... somehow. There will be some moments where she shows a less-rugged side, but I plain on making her change very slowly because gradual development is something I struggled with. Physiological hour with doctor dp18 tho, lol. Thanks for the support!_

 **Blaze Falcon:** _Unlike the other stories, Tom won't have a real powerhouse or weakest link. Instead, everyone will be able to take control of a battle, but not in an OP way. Sadly, Taillow won't appear again. In regards to a potential issue with Ashley's family causing her to be, well... her... I like it! There's a lot more to it though, so keep on diggin', mai boi!_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Ay, we're birds of a feather. Thanks, btw! Fletchling is the clear favorite so far, and I'm happy to see that considering I put a crap ton of work into his personality. Ashley has been very generic to this point, but I'm hoping her past makes her unique. If not, then shucks. Character development for the win tho xD And you'll be seeing Fletchling a lot in this arc and Dewford's, whether it be in battle or outside of his Poke Ball. Thanks for bringing Ashley's role to my attention, senor!_

 **Trentavious Phoenix:** _Classic movie that's easily top five for me, and Joe Pesci's voice fits the dialogue perfectly, holy shit xD I actually planned on giving Fletchling a hitman type personality once he evolved into a Talonflame, but the mobster schtick is too good right now. Oddly enough, I always found my favorite characters on FF to be the "dark" rival that's so focused on gaining a shit ton of power, which is the inspiration behind Ashley's character. I will say though, she's trying to assemble the strongest team possible for quite a few reasons, and she'll eventually become nicer to some people when the cat's out of the bag. However, she'll still keep her edgy/badass side_

 **SirSwag333:** _Fletchling is the man, and he and Treecko will be very close by the end of the story. And one future member might have an eye on Fletchy boy :P_

 **sparkydragon98:** _He most certainly is, and I love the Talonflame line! The consensus on Ashley is that - as you said - she is the female Paul, but that will change over time (mainly her ruthless training regimen)_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Yeah she's an established ass xD But I like that you brought up what she said at the end of chapter 1 (wanting people to know her name) because it provides reasoning for the way she treats her Pokemon, which further emphasizes her willingness to do anything to achieve her goal. As for Tom, his robotic-ness will be chipped away progressively thanks to his team and the obstacles they'll face together_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 5, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed  
** **Fletchling, (m), level 10, Growl, Tackle, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*** **  
**

* * *

"Ay, so dat's da city youse was talkin' 'bout," Fletchling remarked as he perched himself on Thomas' shoulder, drawing what must've been the millionth recoil from the brunette. "Too bad buildin' all dem offices outta rock looks stupid. I hate dis place already."

Treecko smiled and giggled at her teammate's stream of comments the whole way there while Thomas kept his mouth shut and let the Flying-type talk circles around himself. Somehow, even after getting lost for thirty minutes, Fletchling was still rambling on about absolute nonsense until he, Thomas, and Treecko entered the Rustboro City Pokemon Center. As soon as they did, the robin let out a sigh of relief and hopped off his trainer's shoulder.

"Thank da stahs above fuh endin' dat schlep through duh streets."

Thomas ran one hand through his hair and motioned for his Pokemon to follow with the other once he reached Nurse Joy's desk. The pink-haired woman rose from her seat in a flash and greeted Thomas with a bow, prompting him to do the same, albeit in a rigid manner.

"Welcome to the Rustboro City Pokemon Center! Would you like me to heal your Pokemon?" she quizzed.

Before he could answer, Thomas heard Fletchling flapping his wings. After he landed on the desk and waited for Treecko to jump up, the Normal-type waved to Nurse Joy with a smile.

"Nice to meetcha, Miss! We was just wonderin' how long it'd take fur us tuh heal," he said while pointing at himself and Treecko, whose skin turned cherry-red almost immediately after the young woman looked her way. "Ya see, we gotta go beat up da Gym-"

"We're _not_ beating anyone up!" Thomas hissed, drawing laughter from Nurse Joy and the other trainers in the lobby.

Once he turned, Fletchling butted heads with the Alolan, and they growled at one another while Treecko sighed and shook her head. Even so, she kept her eyes locked on the two until Nurse Joy cleared her throat. Thomas and Fletchling instantly stopped their feuding and they bowed to the pink-haired woman several times.

"There's no need to get stressed, you two. Nowadays, most Pokemon Centers have the tools to fully restore a Pokemon's health in five seconds."

The trio's jaws hit the ground at the same time, and they watched Nurse Joy reach under her desk. The young woman bit her lower lip while reaching through what sounded like piles and piles of equipment, but her eyes lit up when she pulled a silver rod of metal out from the mess of objects.

A second before any of the three could voice their suspicions regarding the rod, Nurse Joy flicked a switch on it, causing one half to glow blue. Thomas stared at the device as it was pressed against Treecko's shoulder for five seconds, and then against Fletchling's wing for the same amount of time.

"You're all set!"

Both Pokemon tested the validity of the claim as Fletchling kicked and slapped the air while Treecko simply moved her arms around in circles. Once they were satisfied, the duo smiled and bowed to Nurse Joy the same time. The young woman let out a light laugh and watched as Thomas' Pokemon jumped off the counter and waited by his side before speaking again.

"Sir, do you need help getting to the Gym from here?" she asked. Thomas' response was a violent nod, which Joy kept from speaking about. "Okay then, I'll just print a map for you, and-"

"There's no need for that, Nurse Joy. I can take him," someone owning a feminine voice stated. The sound of shoes striking the floor grew louder and louder until, finally, Thomas spotted an unfamiliar figure out of the corner of his vision. He turned and found a violet-eyed woman in her mid-twenties staring at him, Treecko, and Fletchling.

Nurse Joy smiled while nodding at the woman's offering, and then she motioned for Thomas to follow the volunteer, which he did after sighing.

 _I'd rather get a map than a tour guide,_ the Alolan thought to himself while following the woman outside.

Once he stepped outside and into the light of day, Thomas examined the woman's attire stone-faced. The white dress shirt underneath her black skirt poked out around the arms, and she also wore violet stockings that went past her thighs along with a salmon bolo tie. Lastly, a large, violet bow was tied around the bases of both her pigtails, which had to have been the most notable bit of clothing she had on.

"My name's Roxanne, it's nice to meet you," she greeted while going for a handshake.

Thomas eyed the woman's outstretched hand while he kept both of his in the front pocket of his hoodie, making his escort to the Gym sweat-drop. She regained her composure, however, when Fletchling flew up to her face and smiled before introducing himself.

"Likewise. Da name's Fletchling, in case ya wonderin'," he informed the brunette, who smiled and nodded. Her attention then shifted to Treecko, who trembled at the attention and hid behind Thomas' leg. "She ain't too good at talkin' wit' new people, ya know? I gots tuh - what's da word? Oh yeah - compensate fur her."

 _Will he ever shut up?_ Thomas thought to himself as he began to slow his pace. His starter noticed the sudden decrease and speed, so she did the same and matched his stroll stride-for-stride.

Roxanne and Fletchling conversed all the way to the Gym while Treecko and Thomas continued to lag behind. In a matter of seconds, Thomas lost sight of both his Pokemon and the tour guide, yet his demeanor remained the same. Both hands were still resting in the pocket of his hoodie, he hadn't made an odd facial expression, nor did his stature change.

"T-Thomas?"

The seventeen-year old turned to Treecko and looked down at her.

"This is-isn't the Gym." The Grass-type extended her arm and pointed at a sign hanging from the building. Thomas leaned forward and squinted, but was unable to decipher what was pasted on the banner.

"Let's go," he ordered mid-stride. His starter nodded and scampered through all of the foot traffic before reaching the stairs of the castle-like building. After pushing his way through waves of people, Thomas reached Treecko's location and scanned the words hanging from above, which read, "Rustboro City Museum."

While Treecko scanned the air for Fletchling, Thomas sat down, rand a hand through his hair, and cursed wildly. How did he manage to lose one of his Pokemon? What kind of trainer did that? He sighed and held his head in his hands for what felt like eons as the weight of the world crashed upon his shoulders. There was only one of him, and one of Fletchling in the entire city. He'd essentially be searching for a needle in a haystack given the proportions in size.

 _Even if he's in danger, Fletchling can hold his own. I'm sure of it._ The brunette surveyed the never-ending crowd of people perusing Rustboro City's streets, but to no avail. Roxanne was gone, but more importantly, so was Fletchling.

"Yo, Boss!" an all too familiar voice called. "Dis ain't da time tuh be sittin' on ya ass! Let's go battle da Gym Leaduh!"

Thomas' head shot up and he leaned back on the stone stairs to see none other than Fletchling flapping his wings as if nothing had happened. After taking a deep breath, Thomas stood up and nodded at Treecko before doing the same to Fletchling, who swooped down and landed on his shoulder.

This time, Thomas didn't flinch.

"S-s-so where's the G-gym, Fl-fletchling?" Treecko stammered, drawing her teammate's gaze.

The Flying-type tilted his head in response before staring at Thomas, only to find he had the same questioning gleam in his eyes. Fletchling slapped his wing against his forehead and groaned.

"Honestly, youse is da biggest pair 'o babbos I've evuh met," he muttered, still shaking his head from left to right. "Ya standin' right in front of da damn thing! C'mon, Boss! I'll even point at it so ya don't look da wrong way."

Treecko tracked where Fletchling pointed - right at the museum - and cleared her throat. However, Thomas beat her to the punch, as he was already bickering with the robin on his shoulder.

" _I'm_ an idiot? You can't even read!" he shouted, stomping like a child. "That sign says it's a museum, not a Gym!"

Fletchling stared at the building and rubbed his chin for a moment.

"Huh. I guess dat broad took us tuh da wrong place. She's a tawh guide, my ass."

Treecko and Thomas nodded along with the tiny bird and turned away from the museum. At that very instant, an explosion went off from inside the building, and a cloud of smoke fled through the front doors. The trio stared slack-jawed while people ran out of the museum, waving their arms as if they had caught fire.

Everyone that had been walking by the area stopped dead in their tracks and watched what was going on with sparks in their eyes. Some members of the expanding crowd were even salivating over the incident and tried getting an up-close picture or video of the action. Thankfully, they were unable to, as the cops were on the scene in no time.

Thomas, Treecko, and Fletchling sat back and watched a pushing match between the authorities and citizens erupt, but their source of entertainment was blocked by someone stepping in front of them and remaining motionless like a wall. The trio looked up at the stranger's face, and they all shuddered.

"Roxanne?"

 **000**

Back at the Pokemon Center, Ashley sat outside with Torchic laying on the ground. He was panting a mile a minute, and the bruises from the day before were only getting worse despite treatment from Nurse Joy. Still, the Fire-type chugged along during his training sessions without so much as a grimace.

Turning to catch a glimpse of her Pokemon, Ashley suppressed a groan by grabbing one of the Poke Balls off her belt and tossing it up. She'd then catch it and toss the device again, catching it mid-fall. Ashley repeated that a few times before Torchic rose to his feet and flashed a warm smile.

His trainer narrowed her eyes while she continued to lean back in her chair and toss the Poke Ball.

 _It's so obvious you're faking it,_ she thought, _just sit down and relax, dammit._

"Are you ready to get back to work?" Torchic inquired, still forcing a smile. Ashley didn't respond, prompting her starter to ask the same question again. Just like the first time, there was no answer.

Instead of doing something, the seventeen-year old folded her arms and laid her neck against them. She was no longer looking at the battlefield; she was no longer looking at Torchic.

"Did I do something wrong? If I did, I'm sorry!"

Torchic ran up to his trainer and leaned against her leg, but a swift kick to the gut sent him tumbling. Ashley shifted her focus away from the clouds overhead and to the coughing Pokemon laying face-down on the ground, and she began to shake her head. A sigh followed that, then the sound of her boots clacking simultaneously finished the sequence. With both arms folded over her chest, Ashley locked eyes with her starter, who continued to cough in pain.

"I need to train the other one, so get up."

Channeling every last bit of strength into his legs, Torchic struggled to his feet while his trainer watched with an emotionless expression. Once he was standing, the Fire-type lifted his head and smiled.

"Can I... help?" he asked between coughs.

Ashley nodded, drawing a faint cheer from the chicken as he followed her into the Pokemon Center. Once he was all healed up and ready to go, Torchic made his way into the city's streets with Ashley by his side. Without so much as a word, the ruby-eyed girl walked right into the crowd of citizens jockeying for position on the sidewalk. Elbows were thrown - Ashley being the primary culprit - on her way to capturing a spot in the foot traffic, and somehow Torchic managed to keep up with her.

"Sorry! Sorry about that! Excuse me! Whoops!"

The sound of his apologies flooded the air and burrowed in Ashley's ears, yet she never turned around to check on him. Instead, her focus was solely on the Poke Ball in her hand, which she continued to fiddle with despite the aggressive nature of her fellow pedestrians.

Once she and Torchic reached the end of the corner and were held up by traffic, the Fire-type began to stretch his legs and spit embers. Ashely glanced at him and rolled her eyes, but Torchic continued to do his own thing despite the combination of his trainer's disapproval and the reactions from people behind him.

"Would you tell that stupid thing to stop spitting on damn sidewalk?" a short man in a suit snapped while staring at Ashley.

She paid him no attention and kept a close eye on Torchic, who turned and smiled at the man who had voiced his displeasure.

"Hello, sir!"

The bald man's face twisted and he glared daggers at the bipedal chicken, causing Torchic to backpedal until he bumped into Ashley's calf. For whatever reason, she seemed detached from the situation. The suited man noticed as much and immediately bent over, jabbing Torchic in the face with his pudgy finger.

"What's the matter with you? Are you stupid, or something? Holy shit! I swear, if I have to see another one of these idiot pets vandalizing city property, I'm going to-"

In one swift motion, a hand shot forwards, grabbed the man by his tie, and yanked him back. Before he knew it, the bald corporate employee's face was centimeters - no, millimeters - away from Ashley's. He trembled as the girl's face grew closer, but he made no attempt to break free of her hold.

Torchic examined his trainer while he squinted and stood on the tips of his toes. Somehow, she had reduced the man to a shaking pile of mush. Then he saw it. There was something about the look in Ashley's eyes, something that almost seemed satanic.

"Talk to him like that one more time, and I'll snap your neck," she hissed, pressing her nose up against the shorter man's. "Now go pretend that you matter, sack of shit." Shoving the man a few feet back and into the crowd of people, Ashley returned her sights to the crosswalk.

She immediately huffed, however, when she felt Torchic's eyes staring holes through her.

"Thanks for sticking up for me. I promise, I'm gonna work twice as hard from here on out!" the Hoennian Pokemon proclaimed with a hop.

"Listen to me, Torchic." Upon hearing his name, the Fire-type's ears perked up, and he kept looking at Ashley. "You need to stop being so nice to people all the time."

He tilted his head at the suggestion, so the rookie trainer continued.

"If some prick - like that guy I just talked to - ever comes around and tries to take advantage of you, do _not_ hesitate to put him in his place. Got it?" Ashley waited for the usual peppy response she'd heard a million times before, but it never came. Because of that, she looked to her left and saw it: the same, stupid smile Torchic always had plastered on his face.

"But sometimes people that are mean only act that way because they've never had someone lighten their day!"

The raven-haired girl flinched as the crossing light turned on, and Torchic began to make his way to the next block. After realizing Ashley wasn't around, he turned and saw she was motionless.

"Ashley?" he called. "Was I being a... uh... what was it again? Oh no, I forgot the word! I'm so sorry!"

Suddenly, the young woman's neck snapped back to its normal position as she rushed to the next block with Torchic in tow and his words pushed out of her mind.

 **000**

"So you, the Gym Leader of Rustboro City, brought us to the museum because you thought _we_ ," Thomas said, nearly screaming the last word before taking a breath. "Because you thought _we_ could help!? Seriously!?"

Roxanne rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish grin while Treecko dropped to the ground with her eyes completely white. Fletchling, however, perched himself on Thomas' shoulder despite the brunette's protesting, and he pounded his chest with both wings.

"Sorry about that, but they've been acting up recently ever since a wild Pokemon attacked them and took control of where they used to play. They must be planning on fighting for the land."

"Ay, we got dis, Boss," Fletchling proclaimed. "Ain't it a good time tuh get some trainin' in? And we can help dese guys out too."

Thomas crossed his arms and shut his eyes at the same time, drawing a pair of confused glances from the bird on his head and Roxanne. A grin formed out of nowhere and stuck to Roxanne's face as she leaned in close to Thomas.

"You know, those Pokemon are pretty powerful. One of them would make a great addition to your team, or your Treecko and Fletchling could get a lot of experience from defeating them."

The rookie trainer shrugged in response, but he opened his eyes when Fletchling landed on the top of his head.

"C'mon, boss! If we kick some ass now and some more latuh, challengin' Miss Roxanne wouldn't be so dumb!" the Flying-type exclaimed, causing

"Battling her today was your idea!" Thomas snapped, only for Fletchling to hum as loud as he could, blocking out the Alolan's voice. "Okay, fine. Let's go, Treecko."

Treecko obeyed and ran with Thomas and Roxanne while Fletchling zipped ahead to scan Route 116. The two trainers and gecko continued their dead sprint towards the northeast exit of Rustboro, ignoring the desire to stop and collect their breath. In a matter of minutes, they exited the city's border and found themselves in a grassy field. The only thing in sight other than hundreds of trees was an imposing mountain that pierced the sky.

The sound of chattering entered Thomas' ears and he looked back at Treecko. She was shaking like a wet dog, and her top row of teeth collided with their counterparts below. Sweat poured down the gecko's head and her skin turned from green to red, prompting Roxanne to place a hand on the Grass-type's forehead. She retracted it in an instant while her face twisted, causing Treecko to fall on her hands and knees while staring at the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Roxanne said over and over again, though Treecko continued to strike the overdramatic pose.

As the Gym Leader continued apologizing to his starter, Thomas scanned the area, which was devoid of wild Pokemon. Not a single creature entered his field of vision, even as he peered through the trees on either side of him. Fletchling dipped out of the trees to his trainer's left and eased into his landing like a plane would. After he saluted to Thomas, the robin turned to Roxanne and sweat-dropped when he saw her attempting to comfort Treecko, whose head was down while she rested on her hands and knees.

"So I flew around dis place, but I didn't see nothin', Boss." Thomas turned away from the winged creature and put his hands on his hips with a sigh. "How's 'bout I go check again?"

"It's fine," the brunette said as he kept surveying the open field. "Worst case scenario, we'll head back to Rustboro."

Roxanne's neck snapped towards Thomas and she shot off the ground, making him flinch. The Gym Leader then grabbed him by his hoodie and began shaking her future challenger like a rag doll, shouting, "We are _not_ letting those Pokemon run rampant!" The increased ferocity with which she shook Thomas prevented him from getting a word in, so Roxanne continued, "Like I already told you, there's another vicious Pokemon that took control of this place and banned anything from coming around here! One way or another, we're going to find the Fossil Pokemon!"

With that, Roxanne released her grip on Thomas' shirt and turned away as he limply smacked against the ground. Fletchling looked on and laughed at the scene while Treecko lifted her gaze and inhaled deeply. After exhaling, the Grass-type walked over to her trainer's side and leaned over to stare at him.

"He-hey." She poked the dizzy teen four times, but he was unresponsive. "Fletch-li-ling, can you get him?"

"Aw yeah! Dis is my specialty, Dollface, so step back and watch duh mastuh."

Both Treecko and Roxanne sweat-dropped at the answer, but they watched closely as Fletchling walked on top of Thomas' chest and began to stretch his wings. Minutes passed, and once his routine was finished, the Kalosian Pokemon reared his head back. Dropping it like a hammer, he impaled Thomas' shoulder, eliciting a deafening scream that silenced the winds. The spectating females gasped and covered their mouths with their hands as Fletchling hopped off Thomas and stood with his teammate. Slowly, Thomas sat upright and glared at Fletchling, who gave a simple salute in response.

"What the hell was that for!?" Thomas screamed at the top of his lungs.

The question bounced off the trees like a pinball and reached the ears of two Pokemon, both of whom perked their heads up at the same time. They exchanged confused glances before shrugging and charging towards whatever it was that had created such a powerful noise. One of the Pokemon, which had four white spikes sticking out of its gray and blue head plowed through any tree in its way while the other creature, whose sand-colored skin looked odd with its plate-shaped face, followed the path its friend created.

Both Pokemon escaped the woods in no time and looked around the open field of grass before spotting two humans, a bird, and a gecko.

"There they are!" Roxanne shrieked mid-sprint. "I can't believe _we_ found them!"

Treecko and Fletchling deadpanned at the Gym Leader's choice of words while Thomas continued to rub the wound in his shoulder, snarling as he did so.

"Lemme say dis befoh she gets back, okay?" Fletchling instructed, drawing a pair of nods from the gecko and human on either side of him. "She didn't do nothin' tuh help. Dat was all me, baby!"

Thomas smacked the robin across the back of the head, prompting him to turn around so they could butt heads. Subjected to several minutes of bantering between Thomas and Fletchling, Treecko sat down and sighed. Both of the males stopped screaming and glanced at their team member for a moment.

 _What's Treecko so upset about?_ Thomas thought.

Before he could brainstorm causes for the strange behavior, a speeding body grabbed not only his attention, but Fletchling's and Treecko's as well. Roxanne's laughter trailed the blur and reached the trio's ears, prompting them all to turn to her.

"What a relief. According to Shieldon here, she and Cranidos never found the wild Pokemon I told you about earlier." Shieldon groaned right after the Gym Leader finished speaking, and she plopped down on her backside. Then, she stuck her back left leg out and clipped her friend's legs out from underneath him. As a result, the Rock-type rolled along the grass, but he hopped up and bolted over to Shieldon and snarled.

Throwing his head forwards, Cranidos sneered, but his friend blocked him with her own head, and quite effortlessly. The back-and-forth pushing match turned into the Fossil Pokemon tumbling along the ground while throwing punches, resulting in a trio of deadpan expressions from Treecko, Fletchling, and Thomas. Roxanne, meanwhile, waltzed over to the flailing creatures and tapped them on the head with a Poke Ball each.

The pig-tailed woman sighed and allowed herself to fall on the grass, her eyes fixated on the passing clouds above. All of a sudden, she asked, "Is your shoulder okay?"

Thomas bit his lip, suppressing his urge to recoil, and nodded violently. Roxanne looked away from him almost immedaitely and muttered something to herself while Treecko and Fletchling - who had been staring at their trainer - did the same.

"So should w-w-we go back to th-the city?"

Fletchling and both of the trainers nodded in unison, and then started their trek back to the city's border, at least until Thomas was frozen dead in his tracks. Roxanne and his two Pokemon examined him for a few seconds before the emerald-eyed boy cleared his throat to grab their attention.

"Are we planning on avoiding that Pokemon you mentioned on the way here?" he asked, putting Roxanne on the hot seat, albeit unintentionally.

Fletchling ascended and began to inch closer and closer to the Gym Leader's face, making her backpedal. Roxanne's eyes danced between the two Pokemon and their trainer while increasing her speed. Despite her efforts, the woman was unable to escape Fletchling's obnoxious, and equally intimidating, position.

The Gym Leader stuck her arms up as if she were surrendering. "Cranidos and Shieldon are the only Pokemon I have on-hand, but they're not strong enough to battle it." Roxanne sighed once Fletchling retreated to Thomas' shoulder, and her neck snapped upwards.

Each of Thomas, Treecko, and Fletchling jumped at the violent movement and spun around. A pair of white eyes flashed in the distance, and the owner of said eyes waltzed towards the trainers. Its pink tail, which had a white tip, swayed with each step, and it continued to stare.

With the odd Pokemon closing in Treecko's teeth chattered. The Grass-type brought both of her hands up to her chin and hid behind Thomas' legs. "What's tha-a-at?"

Thomas reached for the Pokedex in his backpack and aimed it at the approaching Pokemon.

"Slowpoke, the Dopey Pokemon. Although slow, it is skilled at fishing with its tail. It does not feel pain if its tail is bitten."

Treecko deadpanned once the robotic voice from the Pokedex went silent, but her expression returned to normal when Fletchling swiped his feet along the ground. While Fletchling continued to amp himself up, Thomas turned back to Roxanne with an emotionless look plastered on his face.

"You can't be serious."

The woman remained silent.

"Slowpoke are some of the most peaceful Pokemon in the world! There's no way it would mark its turf, let alone get into a confrontation-"

"POOOOKE!"

A warrior-like roar flooded Thomas' ears, and his eyes widened upon seeing the Water-type break into a dead sprint. A cloud of dust trailed Slowpoke across the field, and the wild Pokemon lunged head-first at Roxanne. Its momentum came to a screeching halt when Fletchling shot off the ground and slammed his skull against Slowpoke's chin. Despite landing the attack, Fletchling found himself in a pickle when Slowpoke's tail rocketed forward. It then wrapped around the Kalosian Pokemon's body and he was pulled up with the Water-type.

Roxanne, Thomas, and Treecko watched as Slowpoke spun like a wheel and threw his opponent against the surface. Fletchling let out a brief squawk that Slowpoke ended prematurely with a Water Gun attack. The high-pressured wave's force pinned its winged target to the grass, while allowing Slowpoke to maintain both its altitude and advantage.

"Fletchling, get out of there!"

The Alolan's order proved useless, as Fletchling was trapped - more or less. Thomas cursed under his breath and looked around, his neck whipping one way and then the opposite in the span of a second, while Treecko's hands rose to her eyes. She was greeted to a wave of darkness that consumed everything in the environment, everything other than Fletchling's muffled screams.

Much to her dismay, Treecko's sight began to creep back, as one faint ray of light slugged away at the shadows with unrestrained force. Soon enough, that one ray had an entire army lending support and, eventually chasing the darkness off. Flinching at the scene playing before her, the gecko searched for a remedy before she pressed both hands against her eyes with added force. Her efforts were in vain, however, and she began to hyperventilate as even the faintest of sounds entered her ears.

Suddenly, the Grass-type's leaned her head back and furrowed her brow when she heard someone scratching at something. Treecko flinched at the odd pitch and frequency of the sound. It wasn't a case of a Pokemon performing an attack- no, it was more like a coping mechanism.

"Slooooow!"

Both of the gecko's eyes opened as her arms fell to her sides. Slowpoke had stopped using Water Gun and descended like a missile while Fletchling struggled to move out of the way. He was unable to move in time, resulting in Slowpoke ramming him into the ground. Treecko heard the air leaving her teammate's lungs a nanosecond after the collision, yet Fletchling's near-unconscious state didn't stop Slowpoke from preparing another attack.

 _Get up, Fletchling! Get up!_ Treecko shouted mentally.

The sound of water snapped Treecko out of her thoughts momentarily, and she turned her attention to the wild Pokemon. However, something moved in the corner of her vision and grabbed the Grass-type's gaze. It was Fletchling, and although his legs were shaking like jello, he raised his head to the sky and squawked.

A second later, he glanced at his teammate and trainer, the latter of whom had his hands on his head. Then there was Treecko, who had clasped her hands and seemed to be praying.

Slowpoke was the only one to see Fletchling's actions, and it turned towards the bipedal gecko. Then, it shot a blast of water at Treecko.

Both of the trainers gasped and were paralyzed by shock. Fletchling was different, though, as he launched off the ground and zipped towards Treecko with a white streak of light trailing him. In one blink of the eye, Treecko was five feet to the left while her Kalosian teammate rolled along the grass due to the Water Gun attack.

"Fletchling!" Thomas cried as he rushed to the robin's side. Treecko lifted her head off the ground and looked at her surroundings before setting her sights on her trainer, who detached a Poke Ball from his belt. "Hey, take him to the Pokemon Center," he ordered while staring Roxanne dead in the eyes. After Roxanne nodded, she took the device from Thomas and withdrew Fletchling mid-sprint.

Returning her gaze to the ground, Treecko stared in silence as a wave of force surged through the right half of her body. She was the target, yet Fletchling shoved her out of the way and took the hit.

Low laughter swept the area, and the source drew a pair of glares from Treecko and Thomas. The wild Slowpoke continued to laugh as it motioned for a new challenger, eliciting an angered growl from Thomas. He stepped forward and cracked his knuckles, but before he could charge, the brunette watched Treecko rise to her feet. Slowpoke's eyes opened even wider than before as a wicked smirk crept across its face, but its soon-to-be opponent kept her eyes to the ground.

Her mind was racing, but only one one thing: Fletchling. And that's when she heard it.

 _"Ay, no need to worry, Dollface, I'll protect ya!"_ An image of his stupid grin followed the declaration, making Treecko's arms tremble once she curled her hands into a pair of fists.

 _Despite all of his goofy antics and obnoxious behavior, Fletchling stayed true to his word_ Treecko thought to herself. _This time, I'm standing up for myself!_

Her neck snapped upwards, drawing a flinch from Slowpoke while Thomas turned to his starter. She nodded at him in response without so much as looking at the brunette. Her focus was Slowpoke, and it was going to pay.

Thomas continued to stare at the gecko, but when he turned away, a smile snuck out from hiding. "Okay then," the seventeen-year old began as he scanned Treecko with his Pokedex. A list of her attacks appeared on the screen, as did her level, and gender. "Use Leer!"

Treecko shot a fearsome look at Slowpoke, causing the pink Pokemon to backpedal. A green ring of energy spun around its body shortly thereafter, but it disappeared as soon as Slowpoke shook its head and sprinted forwards. Both trainer and Pokemon gasped, allowing Slowpoke to slam its skull into Treecko's gut.

She rolled about twenty feet and, after rising, began to sway back and forth while holding her stomach. Suddenly, the Hoennian Pokemon had a sharp intake of air and covered her mouth, drawing a deadpan reaction from Thomas and shivers from Slowpoke as the sound of vomit filled the air.

About twenty seconds later, Treecko wiped her mouth clean with her arm and Thomas watched Slowpoke shiver once again. The rookie brought a hand to his chin and stroked what only he called a beard - it was really just peach fuzz, but that's beside the point - before he nodded.

"Treecko, use Pound after you spin in a circle a few times!"

The gecko continued teetering and waved in response. Then obeying her command, Treecko stumbled around while executing a series of poorly-done spins. Slowpoke turned its head to Thomas and stared blankly, prompting the trainer to shrug.

All of a sudden, Treecko tripped over her own to feet after trying to run. Slowpoke sighed and shook its head, but the opportunity to capitalize on the opponent's self-inflicted wound was too tantalizing to pass up. A smug expression crept across the Water-type's face, growing more sinister with each step it took towards the downed Treecko.

 _Come on, come on!_ Thomas shouted in his head. _Please, Treecko!_

And at that very instant, Thomas' pleas were answered. "Bbbllaarrgghhhhhh!"

Slowpoke stopped dead in its tracks at the sight of Treecko, on hands and knees, vomiting... whatever it was, with the strength of a firehose. She continued to hurl, causing Slowpoke's face to pucker like it would if one ate a lemon, and her shivers turned into full-blown spasms.

"All right!" Thomas exclaimed. "Now use Bullet Seed!" The smile on his face vanished immediately when Treecko, who was still throwing up, lifted her head from the ground and spewed a flurry of vomit-green bullets at Slowpoke.

Somehow, Treecko managed to hit her target with perfect aim, as not one of the solar bullets missed. She and Thomas then waited, the latter leaning forward with his hands clenched, for Slowpoke to succumb to the super effective attack. Much to the duo's dismay, their foe rose in a split-second and with its eyes wider than ever before. Thomas and Treecko turned their heads away and threw their arms outwards as they braced for a counterattack, but it never came.

When they opened their eyes, both trainer and Pokemon watched Slowpoke look down at the puddle of vomit it was standing in and then look back up. And just like that, the wild Pokemon's eyes rolled into the back of its head right before its legs gave out.

 _SPLAT!_

Thomas and Treecko recoiled violently, grabbed their throats, and gagged. Though neither of them actually threw up, they wiped their mouths and turned back to Slowpoke, their legs shaking and sweat beating down their heads. Regardless of whether or not it was a product of dumb luck or skill, the feral Pokemon had been defeated; and Treecko and Thomas had emerged victorious.

No words were exchanged as the Alolan and his first companion dropped to their rears on the grass and stared up at the sky. To think _they_ would be the ones helping wild Pokemon, and maybe even Rustboro City, was unimaginable, both before and after the fact. _Them_ , the kid that wanted nothing more than to return home and forget Hoenn in its entirety, and his scaredy-cat starter who had never battled, let alone speak without stuttering.

"Good job." The Grass-type glanced at the boy next to her, making note of the fact that he hadn't looked away from the blue canvas overhead. "And, uh..." Thomas scratched the back of his neck and slightly turned to Treecko. " _Thanks_ for trusting me."

Thomas whipped his neck away from the gecko and looked straight ahead at Slowpoke with a hunched stature. Even though the brunette didn't return her gaze, Treecko smiled with a blush and nodded. "S-so what do we, uh... do with Sl-slo... it?"

It - Slowpoke - was still lying face-down in a puddle of vomit, and the chances of it waking up free of harm were slim at best. So, without consultation, Thomas threw a Poke Ball. Treecko's eyes shrunk to the size of dots and her mouth became a straight line as she watched Slowpoke disappear inside the capsule.

1...

2...

3...

 _Ping!_

Sparks emitted from the middle of the device, and Thomas picked it up out of the puddle despite gagging several times. He then dropped to his knees and furiously rubbed the Poke Ball against the grass, leaving Treecko as the lone spectator. She giggled at her trainer's actions and looked up at the sky, just like he had done, before thinking, _Thanks for believing in me._

* * *

 **So it turned out the Pokemon causing a ruckus was a warmongering Slowpoke, who, thanks to Thomas' planning and Treecko's execution, was defeated and captured! Treecko also gained some confidence in herself, and her bond with Tom grew.  
Ashley, meanwhile, went out to train her newest capture with Torchic, and she actually stuck up for him before offering a bit of bad advice, albeit with good intentions.  
The next chapter will have a change of pace, as Gengar-Girl will get the spotlight, while Thomas and Ashley will cross paths (no conversation or anything, just path-crossing). Till then, peace out.  
Oh, one more thing! Updates are going to be much more infrequent since I'm now at college and classes start in a few days. It's the first time in... 8 years I'm prioritizing school, because I don't feel like failing out xD So yeah, please bear with me until I find a way to balance this and school. Thanks!**

 **1\. How do you feel about Thomas' battling style vs Gray's?  
2\. Initial impressions of Slowpoke?  
3\. To anyone back in school (any level), how bad does it suck? xD**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "The Girl"**_

 _ **While Thomas and Ashley continue training, the girl from Oldale Town and her Gengar drop by to watch them. After doing so, they stop by the Rustboro City Gym, but for what reason? Who is this mysterious trainer, and why does she have such a vested interest in the rookies?  
**_

* * *

 **Rustboro City Arc**

 **Chapter 6: Dueling the Dancing Duo!** **  
Chapter 7: A Spirit in Critical Condition  
Chapter 8: Emerging from the Rockslide**


	5. The Girl

**Ayy! This is the first chapter I'm posting from college (haven't failed out yet, haha), and it feels great to just lay low and write for fun. Last chapter, Thomas helped Roxanne defeat a powerful, aggressive Slowpoke who stole land from the revived Pokemon, and then captured it after using some oddball tactics with Treecko.  
Meanwhile, Ashley and Torchic ventured off to train their newest teammate, and when the latter was being screamed at by some stranger, Ashley intervened like a lunatic.  
This chapter is going to stray from the Thomas-train of attention and instead shine on Gengar Girl(!) and Ashley. Now let's get going!**

 **Delta Edge:** _Thanks! Slowpoke is the oddest of the choices, in my opinion. Not sure what you meant by running a nerd up a wall with Slaking, but Tom already has a Hoenn rep, so that won't happen. As for Slowpoke, it stayed in the puddle because it was unconscious, hence why its eyes rolled into the back of its head. That sucks to hear about school, btw. I only looked forward to seeing people again, and that wore off in a day xD_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Surprisingly she does, and that's the perfect quote! Thomas will continue to bond with the team, but they'll hit a rough patch pretty soon, so he'll have to overcome that. And I think you hit the nail on the head comparing the strategies, which could've made for an interesting battle between the two if Gray was brought back. I actually didn't think about reactions to Slowpoke's speed, lol. That's good. I hate to break it to ya, but Fletchling's the only one with an accent (so he'll stick out more), though the way in which everyone speaks will be different. A cheerful personality for Slowpoke would work very well, my good man_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Yup! Ashley actually has a heart (and certainly a spine)! Slowpoke is going to be great, especially because her personality is the polar opposite of Treecko, and much more intense than Fletchling's. Treecko's going to become a great battler in the future, but for now she'll be kind of meh_

 **guest:** _Thanks! Owen was very bland, at least I've learned, especially with the Pokemon getting personalities (which is easier because there are only six of them). A multiple personality Spiritomb would be incredible, as would a muscle-crazed Throh. Those would definitely make Thomas' team more hectic xD_

 **dragonplayer18:** _I don't think many people ever will xD Slowpoke's one of two oddball captures, and Ashley's actions were nice in a way. Forest Gump was a great movie, and I think I remember what scene you're talking about_

 **MCMXCV:** _Hip-hip-hoorah! Treecko's confidence will continue to grow bit-by-bit, as will her relationships with Thomas and Fletchling, respectively. Ashley's toughness is kind of a facade, but at the same time it's not: it's exaggerate, methinks. Slowpoke will be very powerful and a great help in the Gym Battle!_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _It is a bit weird with how bipolar she can be, but all shall be explained soon. Though, I did make Torchic extremely peppy to accentuate Ashley's harshness. The vomit part was super weird, and that should be the weirdest Thomas' strategies get xD I'm going to try to have him come up with some crazy stuff, but nothing as odd as that_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Indeed she does, and it's good that you brought up her reaction to what Torchic said. Just keep that in the back of your mind because it'll come up in the future. Also, bringing up Treecko's trust in Fletchling increasing (in addition to that in Tom) is important to note, because it will play a huge role in the story, especially with the team. Disgusting strategies aside, at least it was creative! And f*ck school xD_

 **JustinThePokemonMaster:** _Yeah, I kind of realized how Gray's wasn't creative in the slightest after asking that question xD Good luck with Senior Year!_

 **DarkWolfAssassin:** _Thanks, and he kind of was for a bit. Even though he isn't right now, that should change in the near-future_

 **Guest:** _Thank ya. I am a bit annoyed at it (I watched it live sooooo), but then I thought about how good of a battle it was, and how awesome the Flare Arc is, so it makes up for it. Plus, Ash made it to the finals!_

 **3-E Student:** _Good! Fletchling should be a fan-favorite (he's one of mine), and Gengar Girl is the perfect name xD I honestly thought about taking a gap-year, but staying home with my family would've driven me insane, lol. I won't overwork myself though! My schedule's extremely light this year, so I should be able to get a chapter or two done every month. As for Pokemon speaking, there are translator chips in the Poke Balls (mentioned in chapter 1, methinks) that allow them to communicate. Oh, and the mysterious trainer in the theme is not Wally. In fact, you've never met the character before, but they are extremely important to the plot_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 8, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed  
Fletchling, (m), level 10, Growl, Tackle, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 9, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*** **  
**

* * *

Walking alongside a Gengar, the purple-haired trainer turned to her left and noticed the crowd that had formed across the street from Rustboro City's Gym. It was beginning to disband, though the young woman's gaze remained constant. Gengar, on the other hand, looked off into space. Sounds of Taillow and Wingull flapping their wings drew Gengar's attention, and she tracked the near-hundred Pokemon speed away from the northeastern exit of the city.

"What do you think went on here?" the human asked, still turned away from her Pokemon. "We must've missed _something_ if that many people are just starting to leave."

Gengar turned. "Or maybe it was nothing and we're wasting our time here." Silence ensued while the two kept walking and glancing around. "Honestly, Louise, I don't know why you want to help that kid so badly."

The pale trainer, Louise, whipped her neck to the right and set her sights on Gengar, who folded her arms behind her head and huffed. She glanced and saw her trainer's intense glare but continued down the streets, bumping into one stranger after another with an expression that rivaled a doornail with how dead it was. Louise retracted her scowl and tucked her hands into the pockets of her black leather jacket.

"I already told you."

"And I'll tell you again, it's a waste of time. Just look at us! We didn't get any help from a stranger, yet we're more than fine."

Louise kept her eyes on the road and her mouth stayed shut as Gengar continued rambling. By the time the fat Pokemon inhaled to continue speaking, she and Louise had to have walked ten blocks and were at the edge of the city's northeast border. Their aimless walking, which was fueled by Gengar's blabbering, took them all the way to Route 116.

Suddenly, Louise's nose twitched, and she began to sniff the air. Her face twisted and she recoiled at the same time while Gengar walked onwards due to her literal lack of a nose.

"So do you see why I'm telling you we should be training-"

 _SPLAT!_

The Ghost-type stopped dead in her tracks while the young woman behind her gasped briefly. Slowly bending over as if she were a rusty machine, Gengar's eyes went wide upon seeing a puddle of green goop soaking the grass, as well as her feet. She jumped out of the puddle and sat down on a clean patch of grass, furiously wiping the bottoms of her feet while Louise put a hand over her mouth and gagged.

"That's... disgusting," she muttered.

"See!? This is why we should've just stayed in Petalburg and trained!" Gengar screamed in-between grunts. "I'm going back to the Pokemon Center!"

Just as Gengar slammed her hands against the ground and pushed herself upright, a pair of unfamiliar Pokemon emerged from the woods to the right.

One was an eaglet, whose lower body was covered in gray feathers while those around its face were puffy and white. A large feather, which was red on the bottom and white on the top, extended from its forehead and stood straight up. While its wings and beak were tiny, both of its legs were very muscular. The unfamiliar creature maintained its elevation by rhythmically flapping its wings, drawing a stare from Louise.

The second Pokemon was a raccoon with brown and cream fur that had a zigzagging design. Its coat was covered in bruises and dirt, unlike the eaglet flying overhead, and it didn't seem as if it had the energy to stand.

"A Rufflet, huh?" Louise brought a hand to her chin and paused. "Who in the world would have one of those around these parts?"

Two trainers shot out of the same area as the pair of Pokemon, and they ran to separate sides before standing behind their respective partners. The last to join the party was a Torchic, who, while sprinting towards a black-haired girl, tripped over his own feet and face-planted.

Gengar dead-panned, but continued watching as the chick hurried to its trainer's side and began jumping up and down, cheering like a madman as it did so.

 _Hold on a second,_ Gengar thought to herself as she examined Torchic while narrowing her eyes. _We've definitely met them before, but where?_

Louise tapped her friend on the shoulder and motioned for her to follow, so she did. They disappeared into the woods and tiptoed over to the battle between the familiar girl and her opponent.

"Rufflet, spin and use Peck!" the black-haired trainer commanded, throwing her right arm out to the side as she did so.

The eaglet flying above her did as was instructed and performed a nosedive. His speed increased with each nanosecond that passed, but with his wings tucked into both sides, his trajectory was straight down. Louise prepared to turn away, but the sound of Rufflet's trainer snapping her fingers kept her attention.

Just like that, the Flying-type straightened out his flight while also managing to spin like a wheel. His beak extended, surging with white energy. The opposing trainer, a boy that looked no older than nine, stepped back in shock after his partner, a Zigzagoon, gave a weak cry and hit the ground face-first.

Rufflet stopped on a dime and landed a few feet away from his downed opponent while his trainer and teammate walked over. He kept a close eye on the battered creature who was cradled by the child that was its owner until Torchic popped up right in front of his face.

"Great job, Rufflet! Boy, I need to work twice as hard now that you're a part of our team. Don't you think so too, Ashley?"

The ruby-eyed girl paid her starter no attention and continued walking towards the little boy and his Zigzagoon. Louise stared at Ashley, but she turned and, along with Gengar, analyzed the reactions of both of the rookie's Pokemon: Torchic's smile continued to shine, but Rufflet shook his head and pushed the Fire-type out of the way.

Gengar shot up from her spot behind the bushes, but Louise grabbed ahold of her arm and pulled the Kantonian Pokemon back, throwing herself in the other direction as a means of bringing Gengar to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?" the Ghost-type hissed as she clawed her way back to her feet, only for Louise to push down on her head with both hands.

She then took one hand off and put her index finger to her lips, causing Gengar to stop her rebelling. She blinked twice before mimicking Louise, who went back to peeping through the shrubs. For whatever reason, Torchic was still smiling- hell, he was laughing, and not in some kind of artificial way. It was genuine; and it was confusing.

"Zigs, I'm so sorry," the little boy cried as he held the Normal-type closer to his chest, tears rolling down his cheeks. He sniffled, silencing the clacking sound of Ashley's boots hitting the dirt. "Please forgive me. Please."

Ashley stopped once she was about five feet away and stared at the boy she had defeated while Rufflet flapped his wings and kept himself at eye-level with the black-haired teen. She glanced his way, her left eye dancing all over the place, and then a subtle nod followed. Rufflet turned his attention back to the crying boy with a straight face and remained silent, but Torchic didn't do the same.

"How did I do? Am I getting stronger?" he inquired with a smile.

The Fire-type leaned on the his talons and flashed an ear-to-ear smile once Ashley looked at him. However, the starter Pokemon fell flat on his face in a fraction of a second, prompting his trainer to turn away in silence. Torchic watched her head turn to the left and then right several times, so he dusted himself off and shut his mouth.

Gengar clenched her fists while foaming at the mouth, spitting, "What a bit-" only to be cut off by the sound of Ashley's voice.

"Here, take this."

She extended her right hand towards the sobbing boy, and he looked up. A gold diamond was resting on the seventeen-year old's palm, which drew her opponent's gaze.

"It's called a Revive; it'll bring your Pokemon out of unconsciousness."

With that, the little boy took the healing item from Ashley's hand and put it into Zigzagoon's mouth. The four-legged creature's eyes opened immediately after he ingested the Revive, drawing a wave of laughter from its trainer. He embraced Zigzagoon and the Normal-type licked his face while wagging its tail, but the euphoric mood went up in flames when Ashley spoke again.

"Look, kid, you're never going to reach your full potential if you keep training a Pokemon like that."

Louise and Gengar flinched, but the kid stared into Ashley's eyes.

"It's strong, I'll give it that, but its species has limits." Zigzagoon narrowed his eyes at such a proclamation and began to show his teeth, unaware of his trainer's unwavering stare. "To be honest, that thing's almost done growing. If I were you, I'd release it and look for something stronger. That way, you don't waste your time, nor would you fill its head with false dreams."

Zigzagoon prepared to snap his jaws at the girl, but he stopped when his trainer let go of him. The two stared into each other's eyes, both of which swelled with tears.

Ashley looked on for a moment, but she spun on her heels and stared into the woods. Louise and Gengar laid on their backs, neither daring to move a muscle as Ashley continued staring in their direction. Moments later, they crawled forward and returned to watching the scene.

"Zigs," the aforementioned Pokemon's trainer whispered, his voice trembling. Zigs stared intently, his body shaking. Silence filled the air and he was left leaning forward, waiting for his partner to continue. Suddenly, he lifted his arm and extended the Poke Ball in his hand. "I don't care what anyone says, we're gonna be the strongest in the world!"

Not even a second later, Ashley shook her head and walked away with Torchic and Rufflet in tow, biting her lip the whole way. Louise and Gengar waited to emerge from hiding until the wicked girl was no longer in sight, and when they did, they saw the child and Zigzagoon embrace.

 _Thank goodness she didn't get to him,_ Louise said mentally, sighing right afterwards. _For her to go that far in trying to separate a team just because they may not be strong..._ The young woman shook her head and opened her eyes. Then turning to Gengar, she placed a hand on the Ghost-type's head and smiled.

"Come on. Let's go back to the Pokemon Center."

 **000**

"WHAT!?"

Thomas covered his ears and cussed before looking around the lobby of the Pokemon Center. Everyone was staring at him, as well as the three Pokemon by his side.

 _Of course,_ he thought with a sigh. Treecko gave a sheepish laugh while looking around the room and at the trainers, all of whom continued to glare. Even their Pokemon seemed irritated by the sudden outburst, and understandably so. She turned and took a step to get closer to Fletchling, but then he exploded for a second time.

"I ain't bein' teammates wit' dis strunz, ya get dat!?"

Treecko scampered away from him and hid behind Thomas' legs, but she poked her head out and shivered at the sight. Fletchling and Slowpoke butted heads and snarled, causing their trainer to exhale and run both hands through his hair.

"If you call me that again, I'll rip your legs off and shove them so far down your throat they'll pop out of your ass!" Slowpoke shrieked, eliciting dead-pan reactions from not only her trainer, but the entire lobby.

Treecko continued hiding behind Thomas' legs until the brunette headed for the back of the Pokemon Center, prompting her to follow. Fletchling and Slowpoke backpedaled away from each other and spat, but they too pursued Thomas. Once the three Pokemon caught up to him, they stared at the back of his head, watching as he turned ever so slightly. Thomas said nothing; however, so Fletchling took one step.

The Flying-type puffed his chest out and asked, "What's da plan, Boss? We need ta get ah noses to da pavement if we wanna beat dat Roxanne broad."

Slowpoke scoffed and soon found herself butting heads with Fletchling for a second time. Treecko sweat-dropped and hung her head once the duo began to trade snarls. Thomas kept his back to the trio and sighed to himself, only to jump when he felt something tug at his pant leg. Turning, he spotted Treecko flailing her arms while her grip became tighter. Before Thomas could so much as utter a word, the gecko by his side pointed towards Fletchling and Slowpoke.

The two had taken ten steps back, neither willing to break their staring contest. Both Treecko and Thomas scanned the distance between their team members, glancing from one to the other wildly; however, the brunette suddenly slammed his foot on the ground and drew gazes from the Pokemon.

"You're not going to fight each other, got it?"

Fletchling and Slowpoke turned away from one another and looked at the seventeen-year old as he walked forwards. Thomas stepped in-between the creatures without Treecko - she remained a dozen feet away - and folded his arms. A stern expression followed, causing the Pokemon to nod, albeit reluctantly. They then approached their trainer and sat down upon reaching his sides, which prompted their teammate to join them in eyeing Thomas.

Once his Pokemon were sitting, the young man inhaled sharply. His shoulders rose in conjunction with the increasing oxygen, but they quickly sunk to their normal places when he exhaled. With that, Thomas' eyes opened and he examined the trio before him. Despite the warnings they received, Slowpoke and Fletchling glared daggers at one another. Treecko twisted her neck left and right several times with sweat beating down her head, and the glares from her comrades intensified.

"P-pl-please stop it, you guys," the Grass-type requested.

Much to Treecko's dismay, her voice fell on deaf ears. Slowpoke spun and slapped Fletchling across the face with her tail, knocking him onto his side as she said, "I'm gonna gauge out your eyeballs, Feather-brain!"

Not to be outdone, Fletchling jumped to his feet and delivered a swift kick to Slowpoke's face. After tumbling along the ground for a few feet, the Water-type rose and glared daggers at her teammate. Treecko continued to look on as the two pummeled one another, drawing a sigh from Thomas before he put himself in-between Slowpoke and Fletchling.

Unbeknownst to any of the four, they were being watched by two familiar pairs of eyes in Louise and Gengar, the former of whom laughed as Thomas was clocked by his feuding Pokemon.

"You seriously want to help him?" Gengar quizzed as the brunette teetered left to right before hitting the ground like a bag of bricks.

Louise smiled and nodded, shifting her gaze from the younger trainer to his team. Fletchling and Slowpoke had rushed to their trainer's side - Treecko did too, albeit quicker than the others - and tried helping him up. The purple-haired girl continued to smile at Thomas' team's antics until she felt Gengar tug on the sleeve of her jacket, prompting her to look down.

"We should check on Roxanne and the Gym."

She nodded in response and began to walk back to the doors of the Pokemon Center, but not before she glanced over her shoulder one last time. With the help of his Pokemon, Thomas stood back on his feet and nodded at each of them. On that note, Louise entered the building with the image burned into her mind - it was one she wouldn't forget.

* * *

 **Almost all of this was written on different days, so I apologize if it didn't flow. Anyhow, you learned Gengar Girl's name is Louise, yet her interest in both Thomas and Ashley, as well as her motives, are unknown. Ashley was also revealed to have captured a Rufflet (how?), which showed some serious power, and she even tried convincing a kid to release his Zigzagoon. Lastly, Slowpoke interacted with the team, and the antics between her and Fletchling are a preview of what the new dynamic will be like.  
Next chapter will be the first of many rival battles (yeah, Thomas is finally going to do something other than talk or get attacked), but it'll be much different than the previous ones given this character's... well, I'd rather not spoil that :P Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. Rival battle hype?  
**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "**_ ** _Dueling the Dancing Duo!_** _ **"**_

 _ **The time for Thomas' first battle has come, but he's in for a doozy when it turns into a double battle! With little to no practice on his side, the challenger's Pokemon being in perfect synch, and a battling style unlike anything he's ever seen, will Thomas be able to navigate his way to a win?**_

* * *

 **Rustboro City Arc**

 **Chapter 7: A Spirit in Critical Condition  
Chapter 8: Emerging from the Rockslide**


	6. Dueling the Dancing Duo!

**Ayo! Finding time to update's still a pain in the butt, though I guess that makes it so much sweeter when I do finish chapters.** **  
As for last chapter, Louise (Gengar Girl) was the focus as she and Gengar wandered the streets of Rustboro before finding a battle between Ashley and a little boy. Ashley and her Rufflet won, and she went on to advise the boy to release his Zigzagoon, but she was unsuccessful. Things ended with Thomas and his team at the Pokemon Center, where Slowpoke and Fletchling were shown to be at each other's throats.** **  
This chapter will be Thomas' first battle with one of his rivals (submitted by MCMXCV), so we'll finally see how he and the team handle their own against other trainers! Now let's get going!**

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Lol, it was pretty uneventful, though, like you pointed out, it did provide screen-time for Ashley and Louise. Louise's desire to help Thomas is weird, but when they do interact, she'll be a big help to him. As for Slowpoke, she's a wack job that'll drive Thomas and Fletchling crazy xD And thank you! I can't say it enough, but pacing is one of the biggest things I'm working on with the story, so it's awesome to hear that things are moving nicely_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _It's never too late for tickets to the hype train xD Fletchling and Slowpoke are going to be a great sideshow with how much they hate each other, and that's a good prediction about Louise having a connection with Tom and Ashley (you also picked an awesome team). Ashley's adamance about having the perfect team won't be revealed for a while, but you'll get a hint some time during the Dewford or Mauville arc_

 **dragonplayer18:** _Hell yeah (x2)! Fletchling and Slowpoke will be prominent characters for a while, since Thomas will only have... I think one capture between now and Mauville. I always love using Butterfree, and Bisharp's awesome! Thank you!_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Rufflet should be an interesting character, and there are a lot of bumps and bruises heading Thomas' way with Slowpoke now in the fold. Louise will serve a key role for both Ashley and Tom, and I can't wait for all of them to finally interact!_

 **DarkWolfAssassin:** _Hopefully your excitement has lasted this long, because the battle's finally here! Ashley does need to tone it down quite a bit, but she does have reasons for being the way she is, so make sure to keep that in mind for the time being_

 **Sparkydragon98:** _Hooray! It's nice to know you were looking forward to, and liked, it. Fletchling and Slowpoke will constantly be at each other's throats, which should make for an interesting dynamic going forward. And I actually don't think you'll find out whether it's a Kanto or Johto rep until later, because the final capture of the team is either Kanto or Johto. I'm not keen on spoiling that, so it's a waiting game at this point. And thanks! The support means a lot :)_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Rufflet hype indeed! The battles between him and Fletchling will be great, especially with the rivalry they'll have (their personalities will amplify it). Louise and Gengar are an interesting duo as well, and I like where you're going with the former seeing bits of herself in both Tom and Ashley_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 8, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed  
Fletchling, (m), level 10, Growl, Tackle, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 9, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun***

* * *

Thomas yawned and stretched his arms up over his head before rubbing both eyes. Leaning against a wall that faced the Pokemon Center, the seventeen-year old opened his eyes as the bickering between Fletchling and Slowpoke raged on. The two Pokemon butted heads and snarled at one another while Treecko, who was perched in a tree near Thomas, sweat-dropped.

"I told ya not ta be in my space, ya dunce!"

"If you tell me to do one more thing, I'll drown you in the shallowest puddle I can find!"

Treecko looked down to the left and watched as her trainer yawned once again. He didn't move a muscle, instead continuing to listen to his team trade threats. "S-shoul-ld we stop th-them?" the Grass-type asked, drawing Thomas' attention.

He gave a blank stare in response and ultimately shrugged, causing Treecko to deadpan. "I don't really care. If they want to train for the Gym Battle, I'll help. If they want to fight, they can fight."

 _SMACK!_

The Alolan and his starter turned to see Slowpoke snickering while Fletchling tumbled into a stone wall behind one of the trainer boxes. However, he got up right away and zipped towards his newest teammate, whose eyes opened at the sound of Fletchling's battlecry. He delivered a wicked uppercut as his right wing shined silver, sending Slowpoke airborne. Without so much as bracing for impact, Slowpoke hit the ground hard and didn't make a sound, prompting Thomas to stand and then rush to her side. Treecko followed and stood next to Fletchling, the latter of whom folded his wings over his chest and let out a grunt.

"She's out cold; I'm going to take her to Nurse Joy."

With that, Thomas withdrew Slowpoke and ran inside. His two other Pokemon remained on the battlefield, where Treecko turned and stared at Fletchling. The Flying-type noticed, yet he simply lifted his head to the sky and closed his eyes.

"You should b-be nicer to her."

Fletchling grunted once again.

"We've known each other for a little wh-while, but she doesn't have that relationship w-with either of us."

"Hmph."

Treecko sighed and shook her head as Fletchling continued to stand his ground, saying, "I'm going to check on h-her. Come if you want."

Once he heard the doors to the Pokemon Center open and then close, Fletchling let out a sigh of relief and opened his eyes. He ascended with one flap of his wings before landing on the same branch Treecko had rested in prior to the scuffle. Yet again, he sighed and sat down, wings folded, and stared out at the empty battlefield.

 _I ain't gonna be friends wit a nutcase, I'll tell ya dat, Treecko._

The robin continued to sit by his lonesome, even when a trainer and his two Pokemon stepped out of the red-roofed building and onto the battlefield. One of the two Pokemon was a bipedal bunny with a chocolate-brown coat and cream-colored fur on the tops of its ears and around its waist. Next to it was a bipedal mantis with blades for arms, as well as four wings.

 _Who da heck is dat?_ Fletchling thought to himself as he examined the unfamiliar creatures. Suddenly, their trainer snapped his fingers. Two seconds passed, and so he snapped them again. Both the bunny and mantis began to tap a foot against the ground at the same time as their trainer's snaps, causing Fletchling to lean forward.

"One, two! One, two!" the boy, who was about 5'8", chanted along with his partners. He too, was tapping the ground with his white runner, and then he and the Pokemon began to dance.

Fletchling let out a hearty laugh at the sight and leaned back; however, he fell out of his branch and hit the ground head-first. The trainer immediately stopped dancing and ran to Fletchling's side.

"Are you all right, little guy?" he asked, adjusting his black and red flannel shirt as he did so.

A chirp was all the Kalosian Pokemon could say, prompting the olive-skinned trainer to rush into the Pokemon Center. He and his Pokemon arrived at Nurse Joy's desk in no time while Thomas and Treecko, who were just about to leave, stood off to the side with the former clipping a Poke Ball onto his belt.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy," the trainer called, grabbing the woman's attention. "This Fletchling just fell from a tree and hit his head while my Pokemon and I were training. Could you please take care of it?"

Thomas' ears perked up upon hearing the story, and when he looked over, he face-palmed. _Why can't I just have an uneventful day?_ he thought to himself while approaching the stranger, who handed Fletchling over to the pink-haired nurse.

"Hey."

The trainer turned and locked eyes with Thomas as he raised an eyebrow. Both of the Pokemon at his side stepped forward with glares. The mantis drew more attention as it began to sharpen its blades, and then it looked over at Treecko, who yelped before hiding behind Thomas' legs.

"Uh, that was my Fletchling, so... thanks."

Thomas extended a hand, drawing a smile from the stranger, who said, "Not a problem." The two exchanged nods while they shook hands, and the olive-skinned trainer turned to his Pokemon. "My name's Aiden, by the way, and these are my friends, Buneary and Scyther."

The aforementioned Pokemon bowed to Thomas, who did the same while Treecko continued to tremble behind him.

"My name's Thomas, and this is Treecko," the Alolan replied. Treecko's head popped out from behind her trainer's legs and she gave a quick wave, only to jump in shock when Aiden squatted and extended a hand. "She's not great around strangers," Thomas added.

"Do you have any Pokemon other than Fletchling and Treecko?" Buneary inquired with a ballerina twirl.

"Yeah, but-"

"Can we meet her? Please?" the Normal-type asked while still twirling. Thomas sweat-dropped in response, but he sighed and released Slowpoke from her capsule.

A wave of light struck the ground before taking the Water-type's shape. When it did, she let out an annoyed snarl, only to deadpan when she saw Aiden and his two Pokemon. Laughter ensued from the teen and rabbit while Scyther kept quiet and stuck to his trainer's side, his glare remaining constant.

"I only caught Slowpoke a few days ago, so she hasn't as much time to get used to everything," Thomas began, drawing a nod from Aiden.

"Coming into a situation where a trainer knows their Pokemon pretty well must be tough."

Slowpoke rolled her eyes at the sappy comment after turning her back to Aiden, which resulted in Thomas hitting the floor along with Treecko.

"Your Fletchling is all healed, Mr. Brooks."

Nurse Joy smiled as she placed the aforementioned Flying-type on top of her desk, where he flexed his wings and let out a squawk. Treecko giggled at her friend's antics while Slowpoke scowled, but she stopped when Aiden gasped. Thomas and all of the Pokemon turned to look at him right away, causing the younger male to sheepishly rub the back of his neck.

"Sorry about that, I just had an idea."

Thomas raised an eyebrow and motioned for his fellow trainer to continue, so he did.

"How about you and I have a battle? Buneary, Scyther, and I have been working a lot on our own unique style, so you'd be the very first trainer we've battled."

Each of Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke turned to face their trainer. The brunette remained silent for a moment, but he eventually broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"We haven't battled anyone either, so I think it'd be good for us too."

Slowpoke and Fletchling roared in response while Treecko twiddled her fingers and gulped. Her legs shook almost like she was feeling the force of an earthquake, yet when the gecko saw her friends walking away, she forced herself to follow them.

Within two minutes, both parties were situated in their boxes while a few stray trainers looked on with intrigue.

With all three Pokemon standing on either side of him, Thomas squatted and motioned for them to huddle up. They attempted to do so, but Fletchling and Slowpoke ended up next to one another, and thus began to butt heads.

Treecko jumped in-between the two and pushed against their foreheads with all her might while shouting, "C-c-cut it ou-out!" They eventually did, albeit with obnoxious groans, but their attention shifted to Thomas when he cleared his throat.

"Let's try our best," he said monotonously before standing upright, causing each of the three Pokemon's faces to drop.

"Dat's all ya got, Boss? Dis has gotta be a joke, don't it?"

"Your grammar's a joke, you bumbling idiot."

"You wanna piece o' me, ya strunz!?"

"No, I want the whole thing!"

"GUYS!" Treecko shrieked, stopping both Fletchling and Slowpoke dead in their tracks as they turned to face the longest-tenured group member. "Please stop."

Aiden laughed at the scene along with Buneary while Scyther shook his head and turned away from his opponents, whispering, "Do we really have to battle them?" The Bug-type's scowl grew when he received a nod in response.

"Oh come on, Scyther," Buneary said as she bounced from one foot to the other, adding, "this is gonna be fun!"

The mantis just about rolled his eyes, but he kept himself from doing so when he looked at Aiden. He sighed at the sixteen-year old's bright grin and his teammate's constant dancing.

"Thomas, do you mind if we have a double battle?" Aiden quizzed loud enough for the older trainer to hear.

He shrugged in response after glancing up at the sky, yet that didn't sufficiently answer the question. Once he saw Aiden raise an eyebrow - that was his way of asking for a definitive response - with Buneary and Scyther tapping their feet impatiently, Thomas gave a half-hearted thumbs up.

"I really don't care, so sure."

Aiden smiled and nodded before throwing both hands forwards.

"All right, this is the real deal!" the rookie trainer cheered. "Buneary, Scyther, star in the show!"

Thomas and his team sweat-dropped in unison at the odd saying, but each of them recomposed when their opponents stepped onto the battlefield. When they did, Thomas brought a hand up to his chin and examined his team members.

 _Okay, so Fletchling's a Flying-type, therefore making him a good pick to counter Scyther,_ he said mentally while looking at the tiny robin. _Meanwhile, Treecko, a Grass-type, would be at a serious disadvantage, but she does have the speed to keep Buneary in-check._ He paused and scanned his starter, who was standing behind the others. _And then there's Slowpoke, who's a Water-type and Psychic-type, meaning she's weak to Scyther, too. Still, she can pack a punch._

"Hey!" a random trainer snapped, causing Thomas to look at him and his Aron. "Pick your damn Pokemon so the rest of us can use the battlefield!"

The Alolan stared blankly in response before turning back around, seemingly ignoring the demand. Seeing that, the random trainer was about to march over, except Thomas' sudden arm-motions halted his march.

"Fletchling and Treecko, it's time to battle!"

Two gasps occurred while Fletchling jumped forward and puffed his chest out at the opposition, drawing another wave of laughter from Aiden. Meanwhile, Slowpoke and Treecko stared up at Thomas, forcing him to return their gazes.

"Why the hell am I not battling!?" the Psychic-type interrogated, only for Thomas to wave her off.

"Do you really want to be Fletchling's partner?" he shot back, silencing his newest capture. "That's what I thought." Slowpoke sighed and sat down, yet that didn't translate to Treecko jumping at the opportunity to participate. Instead, she grabbed the right leg of her trainer's jeans and tugged on it.

"Pl-please, can't I si-si-sit out?"

There wasn't a response, leaving Treecko to sweat profusely and hyperventilate, at least until her partner spoke.

"Ay, Dollface."

She turned to the all-too-familiar nickname that had bestowed upon her when they first met, and Treecko went silent once she saw Fletchling smiling.

"I won't letcha get hurt, capiche?" The Flying-type extended his right wing and attempted to make a thumbs up while turning his gaze back to Buneary and Scyther. "It's a promise, a promise I intend ta keep. Den again, I know ya can handle yaself, so dis should be easy."

Treecko continued to stare at her friend for what she thought was an eternity, thinking to herself, _Fletchling has always supported me. Even though I couldn't protect myself from those Wurmple, he still believes in me!_ The gecko turned with clenched fists and stepped forward. _If someone else can believe in me, why can't I believe in myself?_ Treecko stopped once she was next to her partner, prompting one of the strangers staying at the Pokemon Center to step in the referee box.

"This will be a double battle between Aiden and Thomas! It'll be over when both Pokemon on either side - Scyther and Buneary, and Fletchling and Treecko - are unable to continue! Thomas, you have the first attack!"

Without another word, Thomas and Aiden's battle began.

('Pokemon Uranium - Battle! Vs Trainer' plays throughout)

"Treecko, use Leer! Fletchling, lower their strength with Growl!" Thomas commanded with a grin.

Treecko and Fletchling did as they were told, as the gecko shot a fearsome look at both Buneary and Scyther, while the robin squawked. Two rings of light spun around the Pokemon - one green and one red - before disappearing, indicating that their attack and defense stats had decreased. Thomas kept smiling while his team members nodded at one another, but the good vibes didn't last long.

"No biggie, we can overcome that," Aiden retorted with a smile of his own. "Both of you, dance to our rhythm to get in close!"

Once Aiden snapped his fingers, both Buneary and Scyther began to tap one foot against the surface before they took off at mach speed. The shorter of the twirled her way across the field while her blade-wielding partner shuffled in a jagged motion.

"What!?" Slowpoke screamed through laughter. "They look like a bunch of idiots!"

The targets of her insult paid no attention, but when their trainer spoke, they acted in an instant.

"Now use Wing Attack on Treecko, Scyther! And Buneary, hit Fletchling with Jump Kick!"

Thomas' eyes captured the scene in its entirety, as Scyther suddenly clobbered Treecko with all four sets of his wings and Buneary slammed her knee into Fletchling's face. She then threw the bird into teammate, not only sending her opponents rolling back to Thomas and Slowpoke, but also providing her and Scyther enough time to retreat.

The Alolan caught on to Aiden's strategy, however, and issued a counterattack faster than he could even think.

"Hurry and pelt Buneary with Bullet Seed for as long as you can, Treecko! Use Quick Attack and Peck on Scyther, Fletchling!"

Despite still being on the ground, Treecko hit her Normal-type opponent in the back of the head, knocking her down. Meanwhile, Fletchling tucked his wings in and took off with a white streak of light trailing him. His beak extended dramatically while surging with white energy, and he jabbed Scyther in the gut, which threw him back about ten feet.

Aiden glanced at both of the Pokemon, still snapping and tapping his foot, and he let out a sigh of relief when they stood up. He then looked ahead to see his opponent's combatants exchange nods.

"Nice, Thomas! I'm happy we're battling you guys!"

The emerald-eyed trainer smiled and nodded, as did Treecko and Fletchling. Buneary and Aiden did the same, and even Scyther flashed a grin for a second. His expression returned to one of stone, however, when Aiden changed the frequency of his snapping.

"Let's kick it up a notch, guys!"

"Right!" his Pokemon answered in unison.

"We'll do the same! Keep using Bullet Seed on Buneary, and hit Scyther with Steel Wing, Fletchling!" Thomas shouted.

"Scyther, stop Bullet Seed with Cut, and then charge at Treecko with Wing Attack! Buneary, focus on Fletchling and use Baby-Doll Eyes into Pound!" Aiden countered.

Treecko reared her head back and shot a flurry of solar bullets as quickly as she could, but Scyther stepped in front of his comrade in a nanosecond. Then, with both of his arms transforming into even thinner blades, the Bug-type sliced through the attack in one fell swoop. Still, he was left susceptible to an attack, and Fletchling attempted to capitalize on it. Much to his and Thomas' dismay, Buneary grabbed Scyther by the arms and spun him around like they were ballroom dancing, thus switching their positions. The momentum allowed Scyther to reach Treecko and launch her while Buneary proceeded to give Fletchling the most innocent look she could. It somehow stopped his attack cold, and before he could even blink, Fletchling was punched in the face by the bunny's ears. He hit the ground next to Treecko as a ring of red light spun around him, alerting everyone his attack stat had decreased, which left Slowpoke speechless.

 _Damn, what can I do here!?_ Thomas screamed to himself as he watched both Pokemon struggle to their feet. Right at that very moment, his eyes lit up, and a smirk appeared on his face. _All right, I guess I'll go with that._

"Keep lowering their defenses with Leer, Treecko! Fletchling, use Steel Wing on Buneary!"

Treecko shot another fearsome glare at her opponents while Fletchling took off as both of his wings turned silver like metal, but Aiden was quick to react.

"Stop them with a combination of Vacuum Wave and Attract!"

Scyther shuffled over to Buneary's side and they began to dance together once again despite Fletchling closing in at a breakneck pace. Suddenly, the mantis spun like a top and fired several bursts of paper-white wind while Buneary winked, creating a storm of pink hearts. The speed at which Scyther rotated sent all of the hearts faster than the human eye could track, and they pelted both of Thomas' Pokemon.

The Alolan looked on as he stepped forward before Treecko was hurled by him due to the Vacuum Wave attack. Shortly thereafter, Fletchling dropped limply and hit the ground with hearts for eyes. Slowpoke shook her head at her teammates, but she stopped after noticing the growing crowd that had formed. Almost everyone was saying something positive about Aiden and his Pokemon, while the opposite was done for Thomas and his ailing duo.

"Treecko, get up!" the seventeen-year old commanded, his eyes glued to the gecko. Using all of her might, Treecko rose to her feet and slouched over while panting wildly, turning Thomas' attention to the right. "Snap out of it, Fletchling!" Unlike his teammate, the Kalosian Pokemon slapped his wings together and fawned over Buneary, drawing laughter from the spectators.

Slowpoke shot several glares at the culprits, silencing them, yet she noticed Thomas' clenched fists. Both of his arms were shaking along with an increased frequency of breathing, causing the Water-type to look back out at the battlefield. She kept silent as Treecko turned back to Thomas with a swollen eye and nodded.

"Good job," he replied before exhaling deeply. "Now get in close to Buneary and use Pound!"

"Buneary, take Treecko head-on with your own Pound attack!" Aiden retorted.

Meeting in the middle of the battlefield, Treecko and Buneary swung at one another. While the former's movements were jerky and wild, the bunny took a much more conservative approach in dancing around her opponent's punches. Treecko jabbed with her left hand twice, missing both times, and then threw a right hook. Buneary grinned and dropped to the ground, where she began to breakdance, much to the crowd's delight, before rising and striking Treecko with an uppercut courtesy of her ear.

"Scyther, use Wing Attack and ram Treecko into the ground!"

Doing just as he was told with an incredible burst of speed, Scyther jumped while his wings surged with white energy, and he clotheslined his airborne opponent. After nosediving, both Scyther and Treecko struck the surface and were covered in a dust cloud. Buneary cheered and twirled for her friend when he reappeared while Thomas and Slowpoke were left waiting for Treecko in silence. Even as the dust settled, Fletchling continued to fawn over Buneary, paying no attention to the condition of his comrade.

All of a sudden, the random trainer - the one who volunteered to referee - leaned forward and raised his arms upon spotting Treecko. She was laying on her back lifelessly and with both eyes closed, drawing a series of expletives from Thomas.

"Treecko is unable to continue!"

Fletchling's eyes instantly returned to normal, and he flew over to his injured friend. Before Thomas could step foot onto the battlefield, Slowpoke was already at Treecko's side, accompanying Fletchling. The two locked eyes for a moment and glared, but the tension disappeared when Slowpoke wrapped her tail around Treecko's waist and sauntered back to Thomas. When she saw about five steps away from the trainer box, the Kantonian Pokemon turned to look over her left shoulder and at Fletchling, who flinched.

"Kick their heads in, or else I'll snap your neck."

As soon as she returned to her trainer's side, Slowpoke sat down and spun so she could face the battlefield. Thomas, meanwhile, sprayed Treecko with a Potion, causing her eyes to open. The Grass-type checked over her surroundings for a moment before she hung her head, realizing that she had been knocked out of the battle.

"Ay, Treecko."

Looking up when she heard her name, the aforementioned starter saw Fletchling extend his right wing as if he were giving a thumbs up.

"Don't keep ya head down, okay? I wantcha ta see me give dem a whoopin' dey ain't nevuh gonna fuhget." Slowpoke shook her head and smiled at the proclamation while Treecko, whose eyes were sparkling, nodded about a million times.

Aiden kept quiet as the conversation came to a close, and he smiled at both of his partners. Upon returning his gaze to Thomas, the sixteen-year old noticed a fire burning in the eyes of his opponent's Pokemon; however, the fire was lacking in the Alolan.

"Let's do dis, Boss! Ain't no way I'm gonna lose to some tutu-type bums!"

Scyther pointed both of his blades at the Flying-type, but Fletchling's confidence remained unwavering. Whispers from those watching coupled with the breeze blowing along the battlefield added to the intensity, but Thomas broke it when he threw a hand forwards.

"Fletchling, I want you to focus entirely on Scyther! Use Peck and Steel Wing!"

Not needing a second invitation to attack, the robin zipped through the air while his beak extended with white light and his wings turned silver. Once he was within striking distance of his target, Fletchling unloaded with everything he had, evidenced chiefly by the explosive grunt he made.

"Keep the beat in your heart going to dodge, Scyther! Buneary, stay back for a little."

The two obeyed, and Scyther began to tap dance to the beat created by Aiden. Ducking, dipping, and twisting away from every single one of Fletchling's attacks. Despite his failure to land a single blow, the smaller of the Flying-types refused to give in, and he continued to throw his wings and jab with his beak.

"Keep going! Give it everything you can!" Thomas shouted.

Even with the support, not a single attack landed, and Fletchling eventually received a kick to the face that sent him a few feet back. Scyther smirked in response, drawing a snarl from the Kalosian Pokemon. Aiden, however, clapped once and changed the beat again. Scyther's and Buneary's ears perked up at the dramatic change, and the former darted towards Fletchling.

"All right, Scyther, send him up with Vacuum Wave!" In the blink of an eye, Scyther was underneath Fletchling and spun like a top. A tornado formed around him and dozens of blades of wind slashed the bird, who squawked in pain. "And now spike him with Jump Kick, Buneary!"

Thomas, Treecko, and Slowpoke could only watch as the bunny used her ears like pogo sticks to spring above her target. Then, with her foot glowing bright red, she descended and crushed Fletchling before eventually crashing into the ground. Just like before - when Scyther knocked Treecko out - a cloud of dust flew up when both Pokemon were brought down to the battlefield. This time was different, however, as everyone knew the result.

Buneary appeared a moment later and hurried over to her team while Fletchling was laying on his face. He'd twitch every so often, allowing Thomas to sigh in relief.

"Fletchling is unable to continue! That means Aiden, Buneary, and Scyther are the winners!"

Upon reaching the Flying-type's side, Thomas squatted and sprayed him with a Potion, curing Fletchling of his injuries and fatigue almost immediately. Even so, the robin hung his head and refrained from speaking, prompting his trainer to stand up and walk towards Aiden, who was dancing with Scyther and Buneary.

"Thomas, I'm so glad we had our first battle with you," the younger trainer announced as he extended a hand. "Thanks for helping us perfect our rhythm." The emerald-eyed male nodded in response before hearing Aiden add, "Hey, are you going to challenge the Gym Leader? I'm still not sure if we should or not-"

"Do it," Thomas ordered with a straight face. "You'd be wasting your time if you stay around here and battle weak trainers like me." After Thomas shook his hand, Aiden slowly shook his head and looked over at Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke.

"How about we have a battle some time in the future?"

The question caused Thomas to flinch, and each of his Pokemon noticed. Once they were by his side, the Alolan looked down at them, and then back up at Aiden, who had a smile stretching from one ear to the other.

"Come on! We want to get stronger, and so do you and your Pokemon, so why not form a friendly rivalry? It'd make us work that much harder!" The olive-skinned teen offered his hand once again, as did Buneary and Scyther.

Before he could even think, Thomas watched as his team cheered and shook the hands of their fellow Pokemon. He sighed mentally but nodded.

"All right, that sounds like a plan."

As both trainers shook hands for a second time, Louise and Gengar looked on from the edge of the outdoor space. The former smiled to herself and cracked her knuckles once Thomas headed inside, causing her trusty partner to stare at her and sigh. Then, just as the purple-haired woman prepared to speak, she was cut off by Gengar.

" _Don't_ say it," she hissed, only for Louise to ignore her.

"It looks like we're finally going to help the kid out!"

* * *

 **That didn't end well. Thomas met his first rival, Aiden, after the latter brought Fletchling to Nurse Joy, and then when they decided on having a double battle, Thomas was unable to overcome Aiden's** **use of dancing and rhythm. That lead to an easy win for** **Buneary and Scyther over Treecko and Fletchling, and even though Slowpoke didn't get a chance to shine here, she'll make up for lost time by playing a pretty large part in the battle against Roxanne.  
** **Next chapter, Thomas and Louise will officially meet, and the latter will offer him and his Pokemon some advice that could make or break their journey.  
** **Till then, peace out.**

 **1\. Do you like Aiden's style of battling?  
2\. Should Thomas have used Slowpoke instead of Treecko or Fletchling, or did he make the right call?  
3\. Would you like to see Thomas catch an Alolan Pokemon (after SuMo is released)? If so, should it replace one of his future captures (team of six), or be an extra (team of seven)?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "A Spirit in Critical Condition"**_

 _ **Thomas' humiliating defeat at the hands of Aiden has him down in the dumps, forcing Louise and Gengar to appear and offer advice on how to bounce back. Will they reach through to Thomas and help him overcome his sadness?**_

* * *

 **Rustboro City Arc**

 **Chapter 8: Emerging from the Rockslide**


	7. A Spirit in Critical Condition

**Aw hell yeah, it's time for another update. Last time around, the dynamic of Thomas' team was shown to have changed with the addition of Slowpoke, as she and Fletchling constantly brawl. Then, after shenanigans occurred, Thomas met a boy by the name of Aiden, and they had a double battle. Treecko and Fletchling were unable to defeat Aiden's Buneary and Scyther, who incorporated dancing into their fighting style. Things then ended with the two trainers promising to battle again, and Louise watched eagerly, since she found it was time to give Thomas some advice.  
This chapter will be just that, with Louise and Gengar meeting Thomas and his team, so yeah, it's kind of short. Now let's get going!**

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Lol, damn secretaries. Thomas losing was pretty predictable, though I don't have an issue with that since he hasn't battled anyone. I don't know if Aiden was inspired by Tierno (he was submitted by MCMXCV), but their battle was much longer than I anticipated. Treecko will be *the* badass when she evolves, similar to Bellator (minus stealing the spotlight and that other stuff). I'm strongly considering an Alolan Pokemon, and there are a few contenders as of right now_

 **SirSwag333:** _Thank you :) And I was actually planning on having Thomas travel through Alola (his starter would've been Rowlet) until a Hoenn reboot came to mind_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Fletchling is love; Fletchling is life. Thanks, btw. I thought the dancing was done well, but hearing everyone's feedback is great. Slowpoke will get a bit of spotlight here, so that's good. And thanks for pointing out the typo! I thought I wrote Snivy, but I couldn't find it anywhere xD_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Thanks! I actually liked writing that battle, so that's probably why it turned out well. Aiden, while not the primary rival (Big Ash tho), will be incredibly powerful and he'll push Thomas to new heights. Also, great points about Treecko battling was better for the plot, while Slowpoke would've been better for a win. Seventh 'mon hype? Oui_

 **dragonplayer18:** _She's not so much a sociopath as she is a ruffian, but Slowpoke will be a lunatic at times. Vanilluxe was weird, definitely. Aiden also reminds me of Tierno, and you won't see a lot of Slowpoke's protective side too often. It'll appear every once in a while, but she'll stick to her rough persona_

 **Delta Edge:** _No worries, stay focused on school. I like the idea of Louise giving some confidence-shattering advice, though I'm not sure she'll watch Thomas' Gym Battle, nor will Treecko evolve in it_

 **MCMXCV:** _Ayy, thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that I portrayed Buneary and Scyther properly :D I was tempted to have Fletchling crush Scyther, but that wouldn't have made for a compelling rivalry between the two (and also the two teams, but I digress). There will be a lot more bonding moments with the team during the Dewford Arc, although I'm not sure if Slowpoke and Fletchling will see eye-to-eye by then, since I'd like to take it slow. The support Treecko had was crucial for her battling (way to bring that up, my good man), and I think you'll really love the Gym Battle, especially if you liked Tom vs Aiden_

 **JustinThePokemonMaster:** _Xie xie. Good to know they're actually updating it, too. Aiden's similar to Tierno given their implementation of dancing when they battle, and an Alolan Raichu could be interesting; however, I don't think one of the new forms will be Alola's rep on the team_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _That it does, sir; they were simply overmatched, but at least Tom and his team will learn how to bounce back from a loss early. Aiden's style is interesting, and there's a lot more to know about him than just that. As for the Alola Pokemon, I'm currently picking between three, though that should change when all of the Pokemon are revealed. Thanks for the support!_

 **Defender31415:** _Thanks for the compliments and reviewing every chapter! There's as close to no chance for Tandor Adventure as possible, though there's still that minuscule percent saying otherwise. I agree with what you said about double battles requiring chemistry, and considering the fact that Fletchling and Slowpoke would kill each other if they could, Treecko's the obvious choice to go alongside either of them_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 8, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed  
Fletchling, (m), level 10, Growl, Tackle, Quick Attack, Peck, ****Steel Wing*** **  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 9, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*** **  
**

* * *

 _Treecko and Fletchling didn't stand a chance today, and Aiden was able to counter everything that I thought of._

Sitting on a bench in the middle of Rustboro City by his lonesome, Thomas kept his head down and stared at the stone-covered ground. His right leg was bouncing up and down while he twiddled his thumbs, and the Alolan let out a sigh before running both hands through his shaggy brown hair.

 _Maybe we would've won if I had chosen Slowpoke._ He paused for a second and ran a simulation of the battle in his head, where Slowpoke stood in for Treecko. _So Slowpoke and Fletchling would've battled in that case._

As soon as he made that note, Thomas sweat-dropped when a scene of the two beating each other to bloody pulps played in his head.

 _All right, so then what would've happened if Slowpoke had gone in instead of Fletchling?_ the young man thought while stroking his chin. Several annoying comments from the Flying-type would've prevented him from forming any strategy, and the newest member of the team most certainly would've reacted violently.

Thomas' head fell as he turned a ghostly white and sweat-dropped, drawing concerned looks and whispers from passerby. _Why can't I just be back in Alola? These problems wouldn't exist if we never came to this place._ The moment he sat upright, the emerald-eyed trainer gazed at the stars.

Suddenly, the memories of meeting Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke flooded his mind, and he found himself smiling.

 _Then again, if I were there, I wouldn't have met any of them. That's weird to think about._

While he continued to go over his short journey, each of the three Poke Balls on Thomas' belt snapped open. The trio of Pokemon took in their surroundings and spotted their trainer, who was seemingly unaware of their presence, as he continued to lean back and stare at the sky. Whatever was on his mind had to have been important, considering not one of his Pokemon had seen him act in such a manner.

Taking note of that, Treecko turned to face her teammates and whispered, "I-I think we sh-shoul-should leave him a-alone." Slowpoke glanced at the brunette, then back at Treecko, and she nodded in silence. Fletchling, on the other hand, acted on his own merit.

"Ay, Boss!" he squawked while landing on Thomas' shoulder.

Thomas screamed at the top of his lungs, throwing himself off the bench so forcefully he face-planted. Treecko and Slowpoke hurried to their trainer's side and helped him turn onto his back; all the while they glared daggers at the loud-mouthed robin.

"I swear, Fletchling, the next time you do something that stupid, I'll shove your head so far up your ass, you'll hear your intestines producing crap!" the Water-type vowed once Thomas was sitting upright.

The winged creature scoffed at Slowpoke's threat and extended his wings to the sides, shouting back, "Why dontcha try it one o' dese days, ya hag!?"

Without a second to waste, they lunged forwards and began to pummel each other. While Treecko attempted to pry her friends apart, Thomas tucked his head in-between his knees, muttering something about there being no hope. Whatever it was, his starter Pokemon remained focused on the task before her: stopping the brawl between her teammates.

"Pl-please, guys! S-s-s-stop!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, and the fight only grew more vicious with each passing second. People walking the streets were forced to move several yards away as Thomas, who was still muttering to himself, remained uninvolved in the matter. A few minutes passed, leaving Slowpoke and Fletchling covered in bruises and dirt, and they both panted like crazy.

Treecko, on the other hand, threw herself in front of the two with her arms extended towards them.

"Is dat all ya got, Schifosa?" Fletchling taunted, only for his foe to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Dat's anudda woid fuh ugly woman!"

Slowpoke let out a roar and lunged towards the robin head-first, prompting him to attack as well; however, Treecko stood in the middle of them with wide-eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs. Thomas snapped out of his distraught state when he saw his starter was about to be flattened, and he gasped.

"Stop them both with King's Shield!"

An odd figure appeared above Treecko and it appeared to tuck its arms behind its back, creating a pair of blue walls that stopped Slowpoke and Fletchling dead in their tracks. They were then thrown backwards as rings of red light spun around them, drawing a raised eyebrow from Thomas. He brushed off his intrigue, however, upon seeing Treecko drop to her knees, and he sprinted towards her while the unfamiliar creature continued to float overhead.

"Are you okay?" Thomas asked as he helped Treecko onto her feet, drawing a nod from the gecko as he did so. "Good," he said aloud. His body stiffened a fraction of a second later while his face burned bright red, though Treecko continued to smile instead of making a big deal out of the gaffe.

Thomas shook his head to regain his composure, and when he did, he found a floating hunk of metal floating a mere inch away from his face.

"Pardon me, Sire, but one mustn't leave a damsel in such perilous situations," the thing said with a scolding tone. "I truly do ponder about the lack of chivalry present in young men nowadays."

The Alolan blinked once while the creature, which was a sword holding a shield, floated away from him. It suddenly turned and threw its arms towards the stars, thus making Thomas and Treecko turn in the same direction as the Pokemon with the former pulling out his Pokedex.

"Aegislash, the Royal Sword Pokemon. Apparently, it can detect the innate qualities of leadership. According to legend, whoever it recognizes is destined to become king."

While the seventeen-year-old looked over his Pokedex, Slowpoke and Fletchling limped towards him and Treecko with sheepish grins. Upon seeing their expressions, Treecko sighed and shook her head, but before she could say a word, Aegislash spoke up.

"Milady, I hath completed thy mission!"

The group looked around in confusion as people continued walking by, minding their own business - how they ignored the brawl was beyond Thomas. A young woman and a Pokemon made of shadows pushed through the crowd moments later, and the former gave a slight smile while nodding at her Pokemon.

"Thanks for the help, Aegislash," she said as the Steel-type was zapped back into his Poke Ball, but not before he bowed to his trainer like a servant would a monarch. The purple-haired woman, who looked no older than twenty, proceeded to turn her attention to Thomas, Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke.

Thomas stared as she approached him and offered a hand - which he took - while her Gengar stayed back and looked around. "Have we met before?" the Alolan asked once he was on his feet. The woman nodded, but her Gengar, who heard the inquiry, marched over and pointed at the trio of Fletchling, Thomas, and Treecko.

"Are you kidding me? We kept you from being mauled by some Talonflame and Fletchinder!"

Fletchling flinched.

Then, while his trainer and teammate sweat-dropped and bowed, Fletchling locked eyes with the Ghost-type. Pointing right at Gengar with his right wing, he shouted, "You bettuh watch ya tone, uddawise I'm gonna kick ya ass!" A bone-chilling silence followed the warning, and everyone looked at Gengar.

Her red eyes didn't stray from Fletchling for somewhere around a minute, drawing a nervous sweat from the Flying-type. Although her trainer snapped for her attention, the Kantonian Pokemon's stare remained constant.

"I swear, Louise," Gengar started, her voice trembling along with her stubby arms. Upon hearing the woman's name, Thomas began to scratch his head. "I _will_ snap that thing's neck if we don't walk away right now. Feel free to do what you want, because I know I will."

"Louise?" Thomas muttered aloud, almost as if he were searching for an answer. He snapped out of his trance when the trainer he had called waved her hand in front of his face. After a short scream that caused the rookie to fall on his back, and assistance from his Pokemon, he sighed. Thomas couldn't help but think there was something familiar about the trainer before him.

"Boss!" The sound of Fletchling's sharp cry caused Thomas to jump, which in turn elicited laughter from Louise and a cackle from Gengar.

"Sorry, my mind went somewhere else."

Louise smiled and nodded before asking, "What's your name?"

"Thomas Brooks. You're Louise?"

"That's right. I'm Louise Strause, and this is Gengar," she greeted while pointing at herself and the Pokemon by her side, the latter of whom stood with crossed arms and a scowl. Gengar gave a slight groan when she felt Louise's eyes staring at her, so she nodded at Thomas.

Thomas cracked a slight grin and responded with a nod of his own "Hey, Thomas," Louise called, drawing the aforementioned boy's attention. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing sitting on the ground? And why were your Pokemon fighting?" The elder trainer waited for a response as Thomas turned and looked at his partners, each of whom were hanging their heads.

"We lost our first battle," the brunette replied, hanging his head just like the creatures at his side. "It wasn't even close."

Gengar rolled her eyes as Thomas sighed and continued to mope, but she turned slightly after catching a glimpse of Louise putting her hand on her hip. The young woman glanced at her partner and gave her that 'I told you so' smile most people had received at least once in their lifetime before saying, "I don't know about that. Gengar and I watched, and even though you lost, we could tell that the other trainer and his Pokemon were trying their hardest."

Slowpoke tilted her head in confusion and asked, "You watched?"

The older trainer and Pokemon nodded.

Treecko began to sweat at the thought, and as she shook, Fletchling lifted his gaze. He scowled as both Gengar and Louise continued to nod, stomping with one foot shortly after. That grabbed everyone's attention, just like he wanted it to. "Youse must'a been drunk, cuz we didn't do nothin'." Fletchling pointed at himself and Treecko, causing his teammate to hang her head - again - and nod. None of Thomas, Slowpoke, or Louise noticed the gecko's reaction, but Gengar did. Her glare disappeared at the sight, but when she turned to the robin by Treecko's side, it returned.

"You're an idiot," she spat. Suddenly, the creature from Kanto marched forwards, and grabbed Fletchling by the neck before screaming, "You're standing _right next_ to your teammate, and yet you can't even see how sad she is! Look!"

The Flying-type kept his composure and glared at Gengar, though he did eventually turn to his right. After doing so, he flinched. Treecko was sniffling and tears were swelling in her eyes. Even Thomas and Slowpoke stared with their mouths agape.

"So not only are you too dumb to know a close loss from a blowout, you just made your friend cry." Gengar threw Fletchling to the ground and spat, hitting the tile right above his head. The Flying-type remained motionless, staring at the night sky while everyone else turned their attention to Treecko.

 _Is dat broad right? Shit, I don't even know,_ Fletchling thought to himself after sitting up. He turned in silence and watched Gengar put a hand on Treecko's shoulder, prompting the Grass-type to look up. A pair of red eyes greeted her, as did a smile.

"Hey, don't pay attention to anything he said, all right?" Gengar suggested, which made Treecko nod slightly. "Good, because you _both_ ," she began, emphasizing the subject of the sentence as her eyes darted towards Fletchling, "were a lot better than you think."

With Treecko and Fletchling smiling at each other, and Slowpoke and Thomas grinning at the lift in their attitudes, Louise kept her eyes on Gengar and sighed with a smile of her own, which was accompanied by the young woman shaking her head.

She stopped, however, once Gengar returned to her side with both arms crossed, and looked at each member of the quartet standing a few feet away. What had originally been a group plagued by disappointment and a sense of failure transformed into one of happiness and a bright outlook. Seeing that put a smile on Louise's face, and she spoke once everyone else had quieted down.

"Sorry to leave so soon, but we have to get going. You're planning to challenge the Rustboro Gym soon, right?"

Thomas and his Pokemon nodded in unison as Louise and Gengar backpedaled slowly.

"We'll be cheering for you, _and_ I expect to see that badge if we meet up again. Deal?" the young woman proposed despite her continued backpedaling. The group of four replied almost immediately, with Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke cheering, while Thomas flashed a thumbs up.

"Deal," he said. "Thanks for helping us, Louise and Gengar."

The aforementioned duo nodded and waved until they disappeared into the bustling streets. Thomas, Slowpoke, Fletchling, and Treecko quietly looked into the crowd for almost a minute, and when all four of them stopped, they looked at each other. Their journey was only beginning, and the first of many hurdles to come had been cleared. The next? Winning their first badge.

* * *

 **Thomas and Louise finally met, and although it wasn't particularly exciting given the nature of this installment, the importance of it can't be understated. After all, Gengar (and to a lesser extent, Louise) helped cheer the team up, a team that has never dealt with defeat, might I add.  
Next chapter will be Thomas vs Roxanne, a battle that I've been looking forward to since outlining the story. I'm not sure when I'll post, because it should be pretty damn long.  
Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. Should Louise and Gengar watch the Gym Battle?  
2\. Predictions for next arc's chapters?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Emerging from the Rockslide"**_

 _ **Thanks to Louise and Gengar lifting their spirits, Thomas, Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke are ready to battle Roxanne and win their first Gym Badge! Can the team's rejuvenated spirits make up for its inexperience?**_

* * *

 **Dewford Town Arc**

 **Chapter 9: An Ever-Expanding Shadow  
** **Chapter 10: Trial by Fire  
Chapter 11: Beauty and the Bird  
Chapter 12: Hurricane Season  
Chapter 13: Tough Tides of Teamwork  
** **Chapter 14: Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!  
** **Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!  
** **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl**


	8. Emerging from the Rockslide

**Ahoy, readers! It's time for the first Gym Battle, and boy is this a mammoth of an update - that's why it took about a month to post - like most of the Gym Battles will be. Last chapter, Thomas and his team were struggling to cope with their loss to Aiden, but lucky for them, Louise and Gengar stepped in with some advice. That was it, really :/  
This chapter, as mentioned above, will be Thomas' first Gym Battle - which is against Roxanne - and it'll be pretty damn long, methinks. Now let's get going!**

 **ThePhantomStarfish:** _Yeah, I love their relationship xD I also agree with Louise and Gengar (that's why I wrote it, lol), and the former will act as a mentor to Thomas. That much is certain. Mornings are brutal, man_

 **Defender31415:** _Thanks, and Aegislash is a gentleman-and-a-half xD It's also good Louise cheered them up. I like the predictions, and it's awesome that I'm able to use peoples' characters. Growing up, there was always something about crossovers that were... magical(?)_

 **Delta Edge:** _She will be stepping into the spotlight a bit more often now that she's met Thomas, and never be too sure about him winning. I can always decide to push everything back a chapter :P The predictions weren't too hot, and as a disclaimer for anyone that asks: there won't be a Synchro Evolution or Mega Evolution for Sceptile_

 **DarkWolfAssassin:** _Indeed she is! I can assure you she didn't take Phoebe's spot, although the Elite 4 is significantly, if not entirely different than what it was during Gray's Unova trek_

 **dragonplayer18:** _Gengar's tough love was fun to write, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Louise will be a recurring character. Thanks!_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Skimming is... wimming. Shit, I thought I had something there xD So far, it's been really fun to write chapters focused on things other than battles (I don't know how I did it with U:ANG), which I never thought I'd say. I don't know, I think it's making me become more invested in the characters. Also, I like the predictions - especially chapter 17 - lol. Overall, there were mixed results, though there were some interesting ideas :D_

 **Blaze Falcon:** _No worries, school should be your main focus. Louise is cool, and I like that you pointed out her and Gengar's experience, and they'll be key figures in the future. Fletchling could star, given his strength, but I guess we'll have to see :P The main focus of the battle will definitely be on Thomas - Louise would only watch from afar if she were to be there. I like the predictions too, though I do wonder if you really know who this Tyson fellow is xD_

 **MCMXCV:** _It does have a nice ring to it (Gengar Girl, that is). I liked showing off a bit of a softer side to Gengar, and I never thought of them actually being related. That'd be interesting. And hopefully the team does pull off a victory, because I'd hate to have to write another really long battle xD_

 **sparkydragon98:** _I like to picture them fighting like they do in anime (mainly Natsu and Gray in Fairy Tail). Louise could lend some support in terms of cheering, but Thomas will have a fan or two in attendance with or without her ;) The predictions are nice too, though I'm not sure if Treecko and/or Fletchling will evolve. Sure, they may be at the level for it to happen, but I don't think I'll stick to that rule, so Pokemon can evolve early or late_

 **3-E Student:** _Great! I like it too_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 8, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed  
Fletchling, (m), level 10, Growl, Tackle, Quick Attack, Peck, ****Steel Wing*** **  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 9, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun***

* * *

It had been a long night. Not one of the four standing in front of Rustboro City's Gym had slept even a minute, but that didn't matter. The sun eventually rose, and what was sure to be a day they'd never forget followed.

"I'm going to crush that damn Gym Leader's head when I battle," Slowpoke proclaimed, wagging her tail as she did so while Thomas and Treecko sweat-dropped. They then inched away from the Water-type, whose eyes were glued to the cobblestone building. "That'll teach her a lesson."

Fletchling's head tilted when he heard the comment, prompting his teammate to turn and snarl. "Oh yeah, dat broad said ya stole somethin' from da dead Pokemon, right?"

"They're not dead, you buffoon. They were revived from fossils!" Slowpoke snapped. Sighing shortly thereafter, the Kantonian Pokemon lifted her gaze and stared at the top of the Gym. She slowly looked back at her teammates, both of whom were by Thomas' side, and nodded. "I'm ready."

Thomas yawned while he rubbed his baggy eyes, and then he took out his Pokedex. The Alolan motioned for his team to huddle, and when it did, he yawned once again. With that, the Pokedex in his hand was lowered and turned to each of the Pokemon, who watched as Thomas swiped his finger to the left. Thomas noticed Fletchling's and Slowpoke's blank stares and the flustered expression on Treecko's face as she failed to read what was being shown to her, and he sighed.

Suddenly, he looked away from the device and rose from his squat. Once the emerald-eyed teen cracked his back, he cleared his throat and said, "These are notes I wrote last night to help us prepare for Roxanne." The trio of Pokemon flinched slightly, and their jaws hit the ground. "Everything from her Pokemon to her tendencies is right here, but you know what?" Thomas asked rhetorically. He pressed the trashcan icon on the screen, deleting all of his work.

"W-why did yo-yo-you delete those?" stammered Treecko, who shook like a wet dog. "That was a l-lo-lot of work."

The gecko watched Thomas nod after running a hand through his shaggy hair, amplifying her confusion, at least until her trainer cleared the air.

"We don't need them to win."

At that very moment, the sounds of traffic and businesspeople talking on their phones disappeared. Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke kept their eyes glued to Thomas as he placed the Pokedex in his left pocket, ignoring everything else that rested in their line of sight.

"I know you guys are strong, and you do too. All we need to do is trust each other, and we'll win." He turned to stare at the Gym for a moment before nodding at his team of three. "Come on. Let's go get our first badge."

The Pokemon cheered in response and followed their trainer inside, where they were greeted by a man at a desk. About five minutes were spent sorting out whether or not Thomas had an appointment for the battle, but once he was cleared to go on ahead, the Alolan exhaled in relief. There was a woman standing by the door in the far right corner of the room, and when the quartet approached her, she motioned for them to follow.

They obeyed, trailing the woman down a hallway filled with classrooms - which were underway - on both sides. Fletchling poked his head inside every room, each time generating near-deafening roars of excitement that made Treecko jump and yelp. Slowpoke, meanwhile, kept to herself and looked straight ahead. A scowl formed on the Psychic-type's face when bright lights flooded out of the open door at the end of the hallway while Thomas clenched his fists.

 _This is it,_ he thought as a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead. _Once we go through that door, there's no turning back!_

Thomas looked to his left and then right, taking in the expressions on each of his Pokemon's faces. Continuing in silence until the woman walking ahead of them stopped and turned, the rookie bowed and looked at the three creatures once again.

"Are you guys ready?" he asked, his voice shaking with anticipation.

"You bet, Boss!" Fletchling exclaimed, landing on the brunette's shoulder. "I ain't gonna lose ta some boulduhs!"

Slowpoke nodded in agreement, adding, "Damn straight. They'll be rubble when I'm done with 'em."

"Y-yeah!" Treecko stammered while pumping her fist. Slowpoke and Fletchling smiled in support of the gecko, prompting Thomas - who had watched - to squat and put his hand forwards. His Pokemon turned and examined the gesture, but he didn't say anything. Instead, the Alolan motioned for them to do the same.

Treecko was the first to, as she placed her hand on top of Thomas'. Fletchling followed suit, leaving Slowpoke as the odd man out. She sighed and went along with the others, though her face twisted when her hand touched Fletchling's wing. Surprisingly, the two kept from fighting, instead turning their attention to Thomas.

"Let's win this together."

With that, the four threw their hands up to the ceiling and walked through the door together.

 **000**

 _Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock._

Second after second passed, leaving everyone on the planet with less time in their lives than they had the day before. Their internal clocks, much like those on the walls of every classroom, were ticking. The key difference between them, though, was one would go through the same circular motion as it had done for its whole existence, while the other counted down.

Something as simple as taking a stroll through a school was invaluable. While one aged, students never did. One group would graduate, only to be replaced by another, and the process repeated in a never-ending cycle. It was amazing to think about, yet equally disgusting.

Pencils striking paper and the occasional peep from a student rode the airwaves into one elderly man's ears as he waltzed down one of the many hallways inside the school.

"Mr. Champion?" he heard a girl from inside a classroom ask. "Were you always super-duper strong?"

The inquiry drew a low, hearty laugh from the interviewee. The elderly man outside the class, on the other hand, scowled and turned to his left. A creature with blade-like arms, which leaned against a locker, spat and kept its eyes to the ground.

"No I wasn't. In fact, I was exactly like every single one of you right here!" the masculine voice exclaimed. The duo outside heard the children scream like lunatics, but something quieted them down in an instant. "It's weird, right?" asked the man. "Sometimes even I find it hard to believe, but you know what?"

"What!?"

Both the creature and elderly man outside winced and rubbed their ears, muttering at the explosive response.

"That's what made me work so hard, even to this day. Being able to call Pokemon your friends is something none of you should take for granted. Cherish every moment you spend with them, because you never know if there'll be another."

Silence ensued, leaving the trainer and Pokemon in the hall with smiles on their faces.

 _At least someone gets it,_ he thought, adjusting the popped collar of his black trench coat shortly thereafter. The Pokemon to his left nodded, having made the same mental note, and pushed itself away from the lockers. Moments later, they disappeared down an adjacent hall and up a staircase resting by a huge, open door.

"Now what do you all say to Champion Blade?" the presumed teacher asked.

"Thank you!" the students hollered as they waved goodbye to Hoenn's strongest trainer.

Blade, cane in-hand, waved back and exited after his Bisharp opened the door. Once he stepped foot out of the class and heard the door shut, the man stopped dead in his tracks, looking up at the ceiling as he did so. Bisharp kept quiet and waited until his trainer nodded and said something to himself with a grin.

The Steel-type began to walk at the same time as Blade, who kept his ears open for whatever it was that had captured his attention, and turned back to take one last look of the door.

"We should hurry up," the man, who was into his thirties, opined. "Class is going to be put on hold soon."

Bisharp grunted in response while trying to keep pace with his longtime friend, whose cane tapped the floor every one or two seconds. Like the man and Pokemon did before, Blade and Bisharp went up a flight of stairs placed next to a large door.

 **000**

Thomas, Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke looked around the gigantic room slack-jawed. The first floor - the one they were on - was in the shape of a circle, and the walls were about fifteen feet high. Arena seating was located above, providing every spectator with a perfect view of the scoreboard hanging over the middle of the battlefield. Speaking of which, Thomas deadpanned at the bland area. Boundaries were marked with white chalk, but that was the only detail.

"Is thi-this what ev-e-every Gym is like, Thomas?"

The aforementioned teen looked down and into Treecko's eyes for about ten seconds before ultimately shrugging. Her face dropped, though as she was about to say something, Thomas' voice filled the room.

"There aren't any Gyms back home. Sorry."

Treecko tilted her head at the response, but she was unable to say anything. Roxanne walked out from their tunnel instead of her own and greeted her challenger with a wave, which made Slowpoke foam at the mouth. Thomas gave a slight nod in return and looked around the colosseum-like room as he asked, "What's with all of the seats?"

Roxanne giggled. "Straight to the point, I see," she commented, only for Thomas to stare blankly. The Gym Leader sweat-dropped sheepishly, but she quickly regained her composure. "Every time there's a Gym Battle, we make the students watch."

"Wait, dis is a school?" Fletchling questioned.

"That's right, but it's not like most others in Hoenn." The young woman interlocked her fingers behind her back and began to pace. "Instead of teaching students about math, english, history, and science, we focus on battling and how to become a well-rounded trainer."

The trainers quieted down a second later, both waiting for the crowd to arrive. Their patience paid off instantly, as a stamped of children rushed into the room and took their seats above the battlefield while the referee took his place to the side of both trainers.

"Well, I guess it's time," Roxanne muttered. "Good luck, Thomas. I hope we have a great battle."

Roxanne extended her hand and smiled.

Thomas shook it while saying, "Thanks. We'll do our best." He proceeded to release his grip and watched as the Gym Leader strode across her battlefield. Upon entering her trainer box, Roxanne spun on her heels and locked eyes with her challenger. She soon noticed Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Treecko hadn't been recalled to their Poke Balls, and were instead standing right by their trainer's side, which made Roxanne smirk.

"This will be a three versus three battle between the challenger, Thomas Brooks of Littleroot Town, and the Rustboro City Gym Leader, Roxanne! Only the challenger may substitute his Pokemon, but the Gym Leader will pick the terrain for each match!"

A puzzled expression slapped itself across Thomas' face, prompting Roxanne to explain the rules.

"Because you get to pick your Pokemon after seeing mine, I'm allowed to choose between all different types of battlefields."

The Alolan gave the referee a thumbs up right afterwards, allowing the man to continue explaining the rules.

"Furthermore, the battle will be over when all Pokemon on either side are unable to continue! Roxanne, please choose your first Pokemon, as well as the terrain!"

Removing a Poke Ball from her belt without a word, the young Gym Leader tossed it straight up. The device snapped open and a wave of light struck the ground, causing it to materialize into a blue-headed bird with cream-colored feathers. While the creature squawked, Thomas scanned it with his Pokedex.

"Archen, the First Bird Pokémon. Said to be an ancestor of bird Pokémon, they were unable to fly and moved about by hopping from one branch to another."

The prehistoric creature released another deafening squawk that made everyone in the room, except Roxanne, cover their aching ears. Archen quickly lowered his volume when many of the students waved at him, and he returned the gesture while his trainer pointed at one of the terrain choices.

Everyone watched the neutral battlefield lower into the depths of the earth in exchange for one with dozens of towering trees littering its sides. A wide path of grass rested in-between the plants while several branches leaned over it.

Examining the environment while whispering to himself, Thomas scrolled through the Pokedex's information about Archen and ignored the anxious stares from his Pokemon.

 _Archen's a bird that can't fly, so it uses the branches' elevation to compensate. Slowpoke's going to have a hard time hitting him from that distance, so I can't use her._ The Alolan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. _Fletchling could counter that advantage, but if Archen has a Rock-type attack, he'd be done for!_ Thomas brushed his hair to the side and away from his eyes, thinking, _I guess that settles it._

Meanwhile, the trench coat-wearing man and his Pokemon leaned against the wall in the corner of the room. Neither said a word, but when they turned to each other, they shared the same expression. Their focus snapped back to Thomas, however, as soon as they heard his voice.

"Treecko, it's time to battle!"

The gecko blinked once before her eyes rolled back, falling at the same time. As Treecko approached the ground, Slowpoke caught her with her tail. Treecko's momentum stopped immediately, causing her eyes to open while Thomas sighed.

 _Of course she fainted. Great._

"Go crush that stupid bird, Treecko," Slowpoke ordered. "Break 'em nice and slow."

Sweat-dropping in response, the Hoennian starter looked away from her teammate and up at Thomas, whose face was expressionless. Despite that, he nodded at Treecko and motioned for her to take the battlefield. She did to the sounds of Fletchling cheering like crazy and Slowpoke telling her to, more or less, decapitate Archen.

All of a sudden, the scoreboard overhead turned on and had a line running vertically down the middle. Thomas' registration photo was on the left, where he noticed three smaller frames, all of which were underneath his profile. The right half of the monitor had the same layout, the only difference being Roxanne's picture instead of her challenger's. Once they stepped foot on the battlefield, Treecko and Archen looked up to see their pictures appear in the first slot underneath their respective trainer's.

The students cheered and threw their arms upwards, screaming in support of the Gym Leader.

Trembling at the near-deafening roars, Treecko was caught by surprise when she felt a light gust blow against her back. When she turned, she saw Fletchling - who was smirking confidently - nod and give a thumbs up. After returning the nod, Treecko took a deep breath and looked down the grassy path. Her eyes locked onto Archen in an instant, though the Rock-type squawked in response, not showing any signs of backing away.

Once the Pokemon were done with their staring competition, the referee cleared his throat and raised one arm.

"This match on the forest battlefield will be between Treecko and Archen! Begin!"

"Archen, jump onto the branches above and use Rock Throw!" Roxanne commanded.

The prehistoric bird did just as he was told, leaping onto the branch nearest his trainer before raising both of his wings. Rocks shot out from the ground just behind Archen, and then he threw his wings towards Treecko, whose eyes went wide when she saw the boulders flying right at her. Neither of her legs budged, leaving the gecko defenseless until a familiar voice roared in her ears.

"Get behind a tree and hide!"

It was Thomas who had called out to her, lending his assistance when she most needed it. Treecko turned and, while scampering up a slight incline, looked at her trainer. His focus was on the battle at-hand, as evidenced by the way he looked around the environment and how he kept talking to himself.

The rocks landed right where Treecko had been earlier, causing her to let out a sigh of relief while putting her back against a tree and sliding down. Archen hopped from one branch to the next in pursuit of his target, but finding the gecko was easier said than done. Thomas kept quiet and glanced in Treecko's direction. The two made eye contact, prompting him to motion with one hand for his Pokemon to go up.

Treecko rose to her feet and scaled the tree in no time, though she camped out in the leaves while looking around for Archen. Both she and Thomas flinched when the first bird emerged from the other side of the battlefield, but the rookie trainer exhaled and threw a hand forwards.

"Aim and fire a Bullet Seed attack!"

Roxanne gasped as she watched Treecko spring out from hiding and fire a flurry of solar bullets, all of which struck Archen and knocked him off his branch. The Rock-type squawked as he plummeted to the grass-covered path below, and Treecko jumped with a cheer once she saw her opponent's eyes were shut.

 _Is this a joke?_ Slowpoke asked herself mentally as she shook her head. _She clearly doesn't deserve to be called a Gym Leader if her Pokemon goes down in one shot._

As fate would have it, the Water-type was wrong. Archen's body turned into a cloud of white smoke, eliciting yet another pair of gasps from Treecko and Thomas. Roxanne looked at the challenger opposite her and giggled.

"That won't work on us, Thomas!" she taunted, playfully wagging her finger. "Use Double Team again, but surround Treecko this time!"

Another Archen emerged from the right side of trees - that being from Thomas' perspective - as he created about twenty clones from thin air. They landed on the branches around Treecko, leaving her speechless while looking for an opening in the circle that had been formed.

"Ay, dat's cheatin'!" Fletchling screamed at the top of his lungs. "Ain't usin' magic illegal, Boss?"

Slowpoke groaned and turned to her teammate, saying, "Gengar wasn't lying, you really _are_ a dumbass." Glancing back at the battlefield so that she wouldn't miss any of the action, Slowpoke continued, "The Archen that got hit by Bullet Seed was a clone like all of those."

The pink Pokemon used her tail to point at the group of Archen, but Fletchling remained stumped.

"If whatcha sayin' is true, how da heck did she do dat?"

Up in the stands, Blade and his Bisharp were closely watching the battle.

"Roxanne had Archen use Double Team before emerging," the blind Champion said to himself, eliciting a grunt from his partner. "I have to admit, that's a clever move. I'd hate to be the guy challenging her right now." He laughed a short bit while Bisharp kept quiet, waiting to see how things would pan out.

Thomas cussed at the sight, clenching his right fist and biting his lip as he searched for a way out of the situation. _What do I do now? Treecko made the perfect move, but Roxanne was a step ahead of us!_

"Everyone, strike with Wing Attack!" the Gym Leader ordered, cutting Thomas' thoughts short.

In the blink of an eye, all twenty or so Archen lunged at Treecko with their wings glowing white. The gecko closed her eyes and attempted to shield herself with both arms, but nothing touched her. Treecko looked around and screamed when one of the Archen clones literally went through her, and she turned to track that specific clone's movements. Meanwhile, Thomas furrowed his brow, analyzing the events despite his befuddlement.

The Grass-type continued looking around with a grin growing on her face, and just as she turned on her heels, a wave of pain swept over her back, followed by her being launched across the forest battlefield and crashing into the ground right in front of her trainer. The crowd erupted with cheers as an instant replay was shown on the scoreboard.

None of Thomas, Slowpoke, or Fletchling watched. Instead, their eyes fell on Treecko, who was covered in grass stains and had a huge wing-shaped bruise on her back.

Roxanne kept a close eye on the younger trainer and his Pokemon despite Archen's clones vanishing, leaving the prehistoric Pokemon on a tree branch all by his lonesome. The Flying-type called for her, and when they looked at each other, she shook her head, causing the creature to pout.

"What are you going to do, Thomas?" the Rock-type specialist asked all of a sudden.

The Alolan's ears perked up and he eyed his opponent intensely, only to soften his glare when her eyes shifted to Treecko.

 _I get what you're doing, Roxanne,_ Thomas thought to himself, suppressing a smile. _Thank you for the suggestion._

"Treecko, return!"

A smile appeared on Roxanne's face as she watched Treecko stand up and limp back to her trainer's side, where she was immediately greeted with words of support and pats on the back from both Slowpoke and Fletchling.

 _At least he passed that test,_ the young woman noted mentally with a nod.

The young man in a trench coat stood as far back on the second floor as he could, positioning himself behind and to the left of Thomas. He saw Roxanne nod, and he immediately turned to the Pokemon standing a few feet away.

"I saw it too," it said without looking away from the battlefield. "We should get going. Our presence is needed elsewhere," the Pokemon suggested rather robotically, only for his trainer to murmur something inaudibly. After rolling his eyes with a sigh, the bladed creature muttered, "Fine, have it your way."

 **000**

"Hey, Gengar?" Louise quizzed while she and the aforementioned Pokemon strolled through Petalburg Woods. They had left Rustboro City at the crack of dawn, but because one of their stops ended with Louise falling asleep, their progress was subpar, to say the least.

The Ghost-type's neck whipped to the side as she glared daggers at her trainer, causing Louise to sweat-drop until Gengar calmed down. "What is it?" she asked.

The purple-haired trainer moved her mouth to the left along with her gaze.

"You've been doing that ever since we left Rustboro, so just spit it out already, will ya?"

Louise did just that, confessing, "I want to go back and cheer for Thomas." She stomped upon concluding, and something about the look in her eyes was off. Even so, Gengar remained unfazed, and she even cackled.

Her trainer's guilt-ridden facial expression switched to a snarl, silencing the Kantonian Pokemon and forced her to cough for a few seconds in order to clear her throat. After doing so, Gengar stopped and turned to face Louise.

"That's out of the question." The fat body of shadows resumed her march through the woods, but Louise stood her ground and clapped as loud as possible. Gengar turned with a groan, but Louise ignored her.

"And why is that?"

"You and I both know he's fine. The worst thing that happens to him is he doesn't get the badge, okay? It's not like Roxanne's going to murder him or anything like that, so stop worrying and start picking up the pace!"

The young woman frowned while her partner turned away and headed towards Petalburg City. Before she ran after Gengar, Louise looked in Rustboro City's direction and bit her lip.

 **000**

Roxanne put her hands on her hips as she waited for Thomas - who squatted to be at eye-level with Treecko - to pick his next combatant.

"Hey," the Alolan called, waving a hand in front of Treecko's face. She was still hanging her head despite the support from both Fletchling and Slowpoke, so Thomas put a hand on her back and spoke again.

"Keep your head up, got it?" he asked with the tone of an order. "We need you to be at a hundred percent when you go back into battle, otherwise we're not going to win."

Treecko flinched before she lifted her head to see Thomas stand and turn towards the battlefield. She stared into her trainer's emerald eyes while tears formed in her own, but they were wiped away in a hurry.

"R-r-right. Sorry," the gecko muttered.

With that, Thomas looked to his right and at Fletchling - who was perched on his shoulder despite protests. After they exchanged nods, the human pointed straight ahead and yelled, "Fletchling, it's time to battle!"

Fletchling squawked as he flew onto the battlefield, drawing Archen's full attention while he landed on the branch nearest his teammates and trainer. Appearing underneath Treecko's picture on the scoreboard was Fletchling's, which was met with a wave of confused chatter from the crowd of children and teachers. Even Roxanne sweat-dropped.

"Thomas, are you sure you want to go through with this choice?" she asked. "You can switch Slowpoke in right now if you'd like."

Upon hearing her name, the Water-type rose from the ground and stared a hole through Thomas, only to lay back down when she watched him shake his head.

"Fletchling's going to make this look like a smart move, so I'm sticking with him." The Kalosian Pokemon leaned back and let out a squawk that sounded more like a roar, silencing both the audience and Roxanne's worries.

The young woman nodded at her challenger's words and motioned for the referee to begin the match. He nodded at the instruction after clearing his throat and raised an arm towards the ceiling.

"This match on the forest battlefield will be between Fletchling and Archen! Begin!"

"Lower Archen's strength by using Growl!"

Fletchling mustered up as much energy in his throat as he could before releasing a fearsome growl. Following that, a red ring of light spun around Archen's body and disappeared, confirming the bird's attack stat had been lowered. Even so, Roxanne kept smiling as she pushed a stray hair out of her eye.

"No matter, we'll still deal serious damage with Rock Throw!"

Picking up on the indirect command, Archen hopped his way towards Fletchling while lifting his wings towards the roof. Like earlier, many enormous rocks flew to the surface before being sent Fletchling's way. The students gasped and pointed at the Normal-type as he ascended like a rocket going to space, yet the Pokemon paid no attention to the reactions while evading all of the rocks.

"Keep using Growl while you dodge! Then use Steel Wing to follow it up!"

Growling for a second time, Fletchling continued twisting and flying out of the way of Archen's assault. Once he descended, the Kalosian bird kept his eyes glued to his target, who was surrounded by a red ring of light, and both of his wings turned bright silver. Fletchling's speed only increased with each passing second, and right as he adjusted the angle he was traveling at, a rock slammed into him.

"Great shot, Archen! Hurry and hit Fletchling with Wing Attack!" Roxanne ordered.

The Rock-type squawked in response as his wings surged with white light, and he leaped from the branch he had been perched on, closing the distance between himself and Fletchling in an instant.

"Fletchling, stick to the plan and fight through the pain!" shouted Thomas.

As he continued to fall limply, Fletchling opened his eyes slightly to see his trainer and both teammates looking on worriedly, prompting him to shift his gaze to Archen, who was only a mere two feet away. At that very moment, the robin's eyes shot open and his wings turned silver, which he used to slam into his foe's chest.

The crowd gasped at the sudden turn of events, as did Roxanne, but Slowpoke, Treecko, and Thomas remained focused on the battle.

"Dive and use Quick Attack to make the impact greater!"

Fletchling chirped, confirming he'd heard Thomas' instruction, before executing it. With Archen still caught on his wing, the Kalosian Pokemon's velocity spiked dramatically as he descended like a missile. A white streak of light trailed his body, and before anyone could so much as blink, both Flying-type Pokemon struck the ground, causing dirt and chunks of the battlefield to shoot up into the air.

Shortly thereafter, Fletchling emerged from the cloud of dirt and landed a few feet away from the crater he had made. Most of the students had risen from their seats and were leaning forward, squinting in hopes of getting a better view of the battle.

"That was one hell of a beating Archen took. I wonder if he'll be able to stand," Slowpoke muttered to herself as she replayed the crash-landing in her head.

Much to her shock, the Water-type watched as Archen rose to his feet in the middle of the crater. He jumped out and rested on the edge of it nearest Roxanne, which drew a smirk from Fletchling. The prehistoric Pokemon raised an eyebrow at his opponent's reaction, but had no time to dwell on it, as his trainer issued yet another command.

"Please keep going, Archen! Use Rock Throw!" she yelled, throwing her right hand forward for emphasis.

Archen squawked and lifted his wings upwards as if he were doing curls, causing large chunks of rocks to shoot out of the ground and revolve around him. After flinging his appendages at Fletchling, the prehistoric Pokemon watched as dozens of rocks closed in on the Normal-type, who glanced back to Thomas and waited for a counterattack.

"Use Steel Wing to smash right through it!"

The robin extended his wings as they surged with silver energy, and he slammed them through every rock near him. After making his way through the first wave, Fletchling closed in on the largest of the rocks - which was more like a boulder - and swung at it with both wings. It shattered into a million pieces on contact, generating gasps from the crowd as Fletchling clobbered his opponent, or at least that's what he thought.

A cloud of white smoke escaped Archen's body and he vanished. Fletchling and Thomas stared with wide eyes while Treecko looked around the trees.

"Interesting," the unnamed trainer muttered, adjusting the collar of his trench coat as he did so. "Even though destroying the boulder was pure luck, using Growl to weaken Rock Throw was a good move. We'll have to take that and make it our own, Gallade."

Back on the battlefield, Fletchling turned and looked all around in search for Archen, and he soon found himself surrounded by the Rock-type and a dozen clones. Thomas continued to stare in silence and Roxanne, who noticed that, capitalized on the situation.

"This is our chance! Pummel him by using Quick Attack and Rock Throw!"

Archen and his clones did just as they were told. Each one of them rushed forwards with streaks of white light trailing their bodies, overwhelming Fletchling with their sheer speed and the fact that they were passing through his body. Thomas, who analyzed the situation in silence, cursed mentally when one of the birds struck Fletchling with a boulder.

"Fletchling, hang in there!" the Alolan shouted as his Pokemon slammed into the ground, letting out a weak cry upon impact.

While the Flying-type did, his trainer continued to look between the clones, his eyes dancing frantically from one fake to the next. Thomas' eyes slowly opened wider with each passing second, and so did Slowpoke's and Treecko's.

The Grass-type glanced at her teammate while asking, "Wh-what's he gon-gon-gonna do?"

Slowpoke simply shrugged but kept track of the movements of every Archen. "If he could just drag all of them in close and keep them from attacking, then Fletchling would be fine, but that's not going to happen."

Much to her shock, Slowpoke heard her trainer gasp, snapping his fingers shortly thereafter.

"That's it!" he exclaimed. "Fletchling, use Quick Attack and turn as sharply as you can until I say otherwise!"

Despite the constant squawks from his enemy, Fletchling managed to hear Thomas. He shot off the ground in a flash and took off in a circle, evading one tree after another. The army of Archen was left looking around in bewilderment, as was Roxanne, when an airstream became visible in the shape of a ring.

Thomas' eyes lit up, and he pumped his fist while Slowpoke's jaw struck the floor. "How the hell is he doing that?!" the Water-type screamed whilst staring at the brunette by her side.

"Wait."

She raised an eyebrow for a moment, but before she could so much as think about speaking, Slowpoke watched the ring of wind transform. A tornado had taken its place and swallowed Archen and his clones whole, yet Fletchling continued to veer hard to the left.

"A tornado, huh?" Blade asked himself with a smile after hearing all of the students' clamoring. Bisharp gave an affirmative nod.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Roxanne marveled at the twisting body of air. Her shock faded, however, as she issued a counterattack to Archen.

"Use the wind to your advantage, Archen! Ride it and strike with Quick Attack!"

"Do the same, Fletchling! Steel Wing!"

Thomas screamed right after hearing Roxanne speak.

The winged creatures squawked and obeyed their orders. While Archen tucked his wings and lowered his head, Fletchling extended both appendages. Both were set to collide in less than a second, yet their collision was avoided, as Fletchling smashed both of his wings over Archen's head, spiking the Rock-type straight into the battlefield.

Everyone gasped as Fletchling's feet hit the ground, and the crowd's attention shifted to Archen. He was unconscious and twitching, though Roxanne merely smiled at the sight.

"Archen is unable to continue! Roxanne, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee hollered while pointing at the Gym Leader.

Silence continued to plague the arena while Fletchling turned and waltzed back to Thomas with an ear-to-ear smirk. His chest was puffed out and, despite the bruises and cuts scattered across his body, the Flying-type leaned back and let out a scream for the whole world to hear.

Blade, smiling from his seat, leaned forward slightly and rose to his feet, prompting Bisharp to do the same. "Well, we should hurry back to the office."

Bisharp grunted in response, his eyes scanning the battlefield for several seconds. "Right."

With that, he and his trainer walked up the stairs and exited the arena to questioning whispers from Roxanne's students.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Fletchling continued to pound his chest like a lunatic. Slowpoke and Thomas sweat-dropped at the action, but a smile emerged from Treecko who, for whatever reason, kept her mouth shut and stood off to the side. She then watched - and laughed - as Slowpoke smacked Fletchling across the face with her tail.

"Would you stop screaming right in my damn ears, you moron?!"

Pressing his head against his teammate's, the robin gave a simple response as he growled, "Never."

Thomas face-palmed as both Pokemon hurled insults at each other, though they eventually stopped when the sound of Roxanne's voice entered their ears.

"I'm shocked you and Fletchling were able to overcome such a serious disadvantage, Thomas," the young lady commented, generating a prideful grin from her challenger's Pokemon. "Still, you won't be so fortunate this time around." Roxanne stuck her hand out, armed with a Poke Ball, towards the quartet standing on the opposite end of the field before enlarging the spherical device.

 _I wouldn't be so sure about that,_ Treecko thought to herself while watching the Gym Leader throw the Poke Ball.

It snapped open upon reaching its apex, and a wave of white light poured onto the battlefield. A gray-skinned dinosaur appeared from the flash with a roar, and as it swiped its feet along the grassy surface, it lowered its head. There were four white spikes near the back of it, and the very top of its cranium was light blue. Thomas immediately took out his Pokedex and scanned the foreign creature.

"Cranidos, the Head Butt Pokemon. It was resurrected from an iron ball-like fossil. It downs prey with its headbutts."

Looking up from the hi-tech device, Thomas stroked his chin and examined Cranidos' physique.

 _If its primary means of attacking is by leading with its head, that'd mean it doesn't do well against opponents that keep their distance,_ he theorized as Cranidos let out a high-pitched cry. _Then again, Roxanne can pick the battlefield, so I'd imagine she'll try to compensate for Cranidos' lack of long-ranged attacks._

He looked up from the ground and exhaled deeply, which drew gazes from each of his three Pokemon.

"Hey, are you able to go another round?" the seventeen-year-old asked as he locked eyes with Fletchling.

"Whaddya think, Boss?" Fletchling retorted with a slick grin. "Ain't no way none ah dem's gonna beat me," the winged creature added as he marched back onto the battlefield.

Roxanne smiled at the moxie her opponent was exuding, but she turned to the referee and motioned for his attention. "I pick the valley battlefield."

The man nodded and the battlefield slowly descended into the bowels of the arena, forcing Fletchling to take flight while Cranidos scampered back to Roxanne's side. Thomas and his other two Pokemon leaned forward and took a peek at what was to come. They gasped in unison upon seeing the terrain, and everyone in the crowd gasped once the battlefield surfaced.

Similar to the forest-like terrain, there was a path running down the middle of the battlefield so that both trainers could see one another, as well as their Pokemon. Two mountains on either side of Thomas and Roxanne differentiated the new setting from the old, and Fletchling took in his surroundings while Cranidos swiped at the ground giddily.

There was a different type of intensity surrounding the battle, and Thomas, Treecko, and Slowpoke were well aware of that. Roxanne was too, as she locked eyes with the teenager opposite her and exchanged nods with him. When they did, the trainers smiled and then turned to the referee, prompting him to speak.

"This match on the valley battlefield will be between Cranidos and Fletchling! Begin!"

"Cranidos, use Focus Energy!"

The stubby-armed Pokemon slammed both of his feet against the rocky surface and roared as he looked at the ceiling. Streaks of yellow light rushed around his body until fading, causing Thomas to scratch his head.

 _Shit, what does that do again? None of its stats increased, but it looks like Cranidos is a lot more focused,_ the Alolan noted as he continued to assess the situation. _I guess we'll find out first-hand._

"Fletchling, lower his strength with Growl, and then dive-bomb into Steel Wing!"

Doing just as he was told, Fletchling ascended and squawked at his foe, causing a ring of red light to spin around Cranidos. Once it disappeared, the Kalosian Pokemon grinned and flew straight down towards the Rock-type while both of his wings turned bright silver. Roxanne had no time to react, allowing Fletchling to deliver a harsh blow that knocked Cranidos on his back. While the tiny bird soared through the air, Cranidos hopped up and slammed his head against the ground repeatedly, his strength increasing with each strike.

"Let's see if we can finish this off quickly enough," Roxanne muttered, eliciting a grunt from her Pokemon. "Charge up the mountain walls and use Headbutt!"

Without a moment of hesitation, Cranidos took off down the path at mach speed. Fletchling ascended nonchalantly, but his eyes widened after witnessing his Rock-type foe defy gravity by running along the side of the mountain. Cranidos soared past the robin in less than a second and descended head first, ramming his skull into Fletchling's gut. Thomas watched in horror as the two Pokemon crashed into the ground, the force of which created a massive dust cloud that blinded everyone.

The crowd, clamoring at what had just happened, drowned out cries of concern from Treecko while the dust settled. Fletchling was still standing - somehow - and glared daggers at Cranidos, who continued to swipe his feet along the ground.

Slowpoke and Treecko eyed their teammate and opponent at the same time before the former muttered, "He can't win this," to herself, drawing Thomas' attention. "Switch me in now."

"Shut it!"

The Psychic-type recoiled before turning towards Fletchling, whose glare was as intense as ever.

"I don't give a shit if ya think ya can beat 'em, but I ain't gonna letcha say I can't win!" he squawked. On that note, he spun back to Cranidos and nodded, prompting the dinosaur to do the same.

As the combatants stared each other down, Thomas cracked a slight smile and sighed, thinking, _Even though Slowpoke's right, I have to give Fletchling credit for sticking to his guns._

"All right, use Growl again!" the Alolan instructed. Slowpoke's face dropped immediately after hearing what her trainer said, but Thomas paid her no attention. Instead, he and Fletchling exchanged nods before the robin leaned back, preparing to lower his opponent's attack stat once again.

"Cranidos, use Rock Tomb!"

Just as he was about to growl, Fletchling was clobbered by three enormous rocks that rose from the ground he was standing on. A deafening crack echoed through the arena, robbing Thomas of the ability to speak. His jaw snapped open, yet he regained his composure and grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt.

"Fletchling, come back!"

"No way! Pursuit!"

The red beam from the Poke Ball hit its mark, as evidenced by it surrounding Fletchling's body. Unfortunately for the bird and his trainer, Cranidos sped across the battlefield while his head was enveloped in black energy. Springing into the air, he delivered a lightning-quick strike to Fletchling that elicited a weak cry and caused the red light around the winged creature's body to disappear.

When it did, Fletchling fell to the ground and hit it without bracing for impact. His teammates and Thomas flinched at the sound before watching the referee raised both arms.

"Fletchling is unable to continue! Thomas, choose your next Pokemon!"

The aforementioned trainer pulled out Fletchling's Poke Ball and zapped the tiny bird back inside it, whispering, "Thanks. Now take a break."

Right as he was about to put the device back on his belt, Thomas jumped and let out a shriek. Fletchling's Poke Ball had snapped open, and the robin was stationed right in-between Treecko and Slowpoke.

"Ay! Whaddya think ya doin', Boss?"

Thomas blinked.

"I may be outta dis fight, but I ain't gonna sit on my ass and shut up! Hell no!" Fletchling proclaimed, slamming his right wing against his chest as he did so. "Ya two bettuh take dis broad down a peg, will ya? Losin' da battle now ain't an option."

His teammates' reactions were polar opposites: Treecko kept quiet while Slowpoke rolled her eyes and responded with a verbal jab. She and the bird proceeded to trade insults as if it were their jobs, leaving their trainer to his thoughts.

While Thomas kept to himself and scanned the battlefield, Treecko kept gazing at Fletchling. Even though he had just taken an absolute beating, he was standing. Not only that, he was lending support too.

 _He's always been there for us... or at least me, too,_ Treecko thought. _He saved me in_ _Petalburg Woods, and he did everything to help me against Scyther and Buneary._

With that in mind, the bipedal gecko turned to stare at Roxanne and her Pokemon.

 _I have to beat Cranidos for Fletchling! He's done so much for me, it's the least I can do in return._

Just as Thomas began to turn to Slowpoke, Treecko step forward and tugged at his pant leg, causing the seventeen-year-old to look down at her. She didn't say a word, and instead walked out onto the battlefield.

Cranidos' head perked up at the sound of movement and spun around, locking eyes with the gecko almost immediately. Roxanne also took notice of Treecko and nodded at her slightly, prompting the Pokemon to do the same.

Then, extending her right arm out to her side as she kept her back to her team, Treecko gave a thumbs up. Thomas and Slowpoke stared slack-jawed, yet despite the sudden change in his friend's attitude, Fletchling smiled to himself and thought, _Go get 'em, Treecko._

Every spectator leaned forward to track Treecko's movements, but Cranidos broke from the crowd by continuing to swipe his feet along the rocky surface.

"So he's going to try and match speed with speed," Gallade said under his breath, folding both arms over his chest. "It'll end in a tie... at best." His trainer nodded in agreement and continued to lean against the wall with both hands tucked in his coat pockets.

Back on the first floor, Thomas and Roxanne locked eyes, as did their Pokemon, once the referee raised both arms and cleared his throat.

"This match on the plains battlefield will be between Cranidos and Treecko! Begin!"

"Leer, Treecko!"

"Do the same!"

Both Cranidos and Treecko shot each other fearsome looks, causing rings of green light to spin around their bodies.

 _Damn!_ Thomas snapped mentally as the light faded, indicating his starter's defenses had been lowered. _Okay, so Cranidos' chances of a critical-hit are increased, plus Treecko's defense is down one stage. If they get one clean hit in, she could be done for!_

"All right, fire a Bullet Seed attack!"

Treecko acted swiftly by rearing her head back and inhaling dramatically. She then threw her weight forward and released a flurry of solar bullets, which zipped across the battlefield and closed in on Cranidos.

Roxanne snapped her fingers once the Grass-type attack reached the middle of the field, shouting, "First, defend yourself with Rock Tomb, Cranidos!"

A series of enormous stones shot out of the ground one after another - almost like dominos - after Cranidos roared and stomped. Treecko's Bullet Seed attack was stopped cold by the first rock wall, making Thomas curse under his breath while the crowd's chants grew louder. Roxanne smirked at that, taking note of the sudden change in her challenger's demeanor - his movements were stiff and sweat was beginning to beat down his head. She knew she had him on the ropes, and so did he.

"Now use Headbutt against the rocks to turn them into projectiles!"

Cranidos launched himself straight ahead, smashing his skull into the rock nearest him at full speed. As a result, that one flew forwards and hit into the others, causing them to break apart into hundreds of mini rocks while Treecko screamed in fear.

"Use Pound to hit the stones right back at Cranidos!" Thomas barked, hurling his right arm out to his side.

The gecko ceased her screaming and spun like a top, whacking the debris with her tail as fast as she could. Much to Roxanne's shock, as well as that of the crowd, Treecko successfully volleyed the chunks of stone back at Cranidos and knocked him onto his back. He skidded along the ground and past his trainer as more rocks that had been deflected by Treecko struck the ground, creating a veil of dirt.

"Headbutt!"

Thomas and Slowpoke gasped in unison while witnessing Cranidos bolt out of the dust cloud and ram into Treecko's gut head first. The force of impact sent Treecko bouncing along the ground, allowing Roxanne to issue another attack and completely seize the momentum from Thomas.

"And Rock Tomb once again!"

After she recovered from the effects of Headbutt, Treecko slouched over and began panting. At least she was until one gigantic rock surfaced and hit her in the chin, throwing the Grass-type towards the ceiling. Neither her trainer nor teammate could do a thing other than watch Treecko hit the ground without bracing for impact, which generated a bone-chilling sound. Everyone in attendance shivered and stared at the downed Pokemon laying on her face lifelessly.

"Treecko, are you okay?" Thomas asked as he reached out to the fallen creature.

The response was utter jibberish, causing both Slowpoke and Thomas to sweat-drop, at least until Treecko rose to her feet. She then turned back to her trainer and gave a slight nod, putting a smile on the young man's face.

"If that's the case, use Quick Attack and pin Cranidos to the ground!" he commanded after catching a glimpse of the prehistoric Pokemon retreating.

Obeying without hesitation, Treecko pursued her opponent as a streak of white light trailed her body, and she reached him in no time. Grabbing him by the neck, she threw her weight downwards and slammed Cranidos against the rock-covered floor, eliciting gasps from Roxanne and her students.

The old man and his Gallade, who were camped out in one of the room's corners, remained silent, however, looking on intently as Thomas made his next move.

"Perfect! Let 'em have it with a combo of Pound and Bullet Seed!"

Treecko immediately spun like a top and smacked her tail against Cranidos' gut, hitting him so hard against the ground it shattered underneath his weight. Surprisingly, Treecko continued her assault as she did a backflip and unleashed a flurry of solar bullets that pelted her downed foe. Cries of pain ensued as the Rock-type writhed on the floor.

Roxanne looked on and cried, "No! Cranidos!" She looked on as the assault from Treecko continued, causing the Gym Leader to curse under her breath.

Thomas had a different mindset, however, as he threw his right fist forward and roared, "Finish this right here, right now, Treecko! Use Quick Attack!"

The gecko twisted through the air and landed on both feet, but her left leg gave out and she dropped to one knee. Thomas flinched and stepped back at the sight while a glimmer of light flashed in Roxanne's eyes.

"Now's your chance! Knock her out with Headbutt!"

Cranidos hopped onto his feet, sprinting down the rocky path and closing the distance between himself and Treecko. The Grass-type paid it no attention and darted forwards while a streak of light was left in her tracks, and the room soon erupted with roars when both Pokemon collided head first. A wave of force flew in all directions, flipping Slowpoke onto her back while also nearly knocking Roxanne and Thomas off their feet.

Suddenly, both Pokemon were flung back like rag dolls, bouncing against the rocky floor limply until finally rolling to a halt. The referee was the first person in the arena to uncover his eyes, and he immediately raised both arms upon seeing the conditions of the combatants.

"Both sides are unable to continue! Trainers, please choose your final Pokemon!"

While Roxanne pulled out Cranidos' Poke Ball, Thomas and Fletchling rushed onto the battlefield. Unlike the males, Slowpoke took her time reaching Treecko, and when she did, she offered her tail.

Treecko took it and Slowpoke helped her back on her feet, though the Grass-type's legs gave out in an instant. Treecko closed her eyes and fell. She waited for the inevitable impact with the rock-covered ground, but it never arrived. Instead, her momentum stopped on a dime, so she gasped.

Upon opening her eyes, the gecko saw the sleeve of a black sweatshirt, one she knew all too well. Although she didn't turn, the Hoenn starter knew who had caught her: Thomas.

He looked down at his first Pokemon and smiled at her once she glanced his way before saying, "Don't push yourself, just take it easy until we get back to the Pokemon Center."

"Damn straight, Boss!" Fletchling cried as he put a wing on Treecko's back. "Dat was one helluva battle, by da way. Great job!"

The Grass-type looked up at her trainer and then Fletchling with a smile, though her trembling caught their attention.

Before either one of them could say a word, tears rolled down Treecko's face, and she tightened her embrace with Thomas while whispering, "Thank you."

Thomas stared in silence for a moment. His ability to stand up - or even say something - was nonexistent, he was truly shocked. At that moment, his instincts took over, and he began to hug Treecko tighter.

From the second level of the arena, the trench coat-wearing man and his Gallade watched closely until the former spat. The Pokemon folded his arms over his chest and continued to look on with a blank expression until he heard his trainer moving.

"I don't want to see any more of this. Let's go."

And just like that, they left the room without anyone noticing.

Almost immediately after the mysterious duo left, Treecko and Thomas pulled away from each other and smiled. Then the young man began walking back to his trainer box with Fletchling and Treecko in tow, but not before he turned to Slowpoke, who was the last of the bunch.

Neither party said a word - they knew what the other was thinking - so they remained silent even as Roxanne drew her third and final capsule.

"It's been fun battling you and your Pokemon, Thomas," the young woman started with a smile, "but all good things must come to an end, and that's what's going to happen, one way or another!"

Thomas nodded and replied, "We've had fun too, Roxanne!" Fletchling squawked in support of the statement, drawing laughter from the Gym Leader.

Although her smile never faded, Roxanne's laughter ceased immediately. "Tirtouga ride the tides of battle!"

Bursting out of the thrown Poke Ball was a blue-skinned sea turtle, whose shell was gray and looked to be harder than titanium. Thomas drew his Pokedex from his pocket and scanned the unfamiliar creature while the crowd began to whisper and point at it.

"Tirtouga, the Prototurtle Pokemon. About 100 million years ago, these Pokémon skillfully swam in oceans, and dove to depths beyond half a mile. It is thought they also went on land to attack prey."

 _So she's going with a Water-type too,_ Thomas noted mentally. _Roxanne will either pick a water battlefield because she's that confident about winning, or she'll choose another land-themed field to give Tirtouga an disadvantage._

"Slowpoke, it's time to battle!"

Roaring at her trainer's announcement, the Psychic-type lunged forward, only to be knocked back by Fletchling.

"What the hell's your problem?!" Slowpoke interrogated.

Fletchling kept quiet, simply pointing at the referee and Roxanne. Slowpoke tilted her head at the response, but she soon looked at the Gym Leader when her voice exploded.

"In that case, I choose the water battlefield!"

The valley battlefield quickly descended and a new one took its place. There wasn't a platform or speck of land to be seen, causing Treecko to breathe a sigh of relief while Fletchling shuddered at the body of water. Without another word or interruption, both Pokemon plunged into the fish tank and locked eyes.

"This match on the water battlefield will be between Tirtouga and Slowpoke! Begin!"

"Tirtouga, dive in and use Withdraw!"

The reptile did just as she was told, jumping into the water head first before tucking her limbs into her shell. Tirtouga grinned as a ring of green light danced around her body, but Thomas and Slowpoke remained unfazed.

"Go after her, Slowpoke, and use Water Gun!"

Leaping forward, the Psychic-type dove underwater and swam around in search of Tirtouga. Upon seeing her target, Slowpoke's eyes shot open and she leaned back while inhaling. She then fired a twisting blast of water from her mouth that closed in on Tirtouga in a matter of seconds. Because she was unable to get out of the way in time, the prehistoric Pokemon was thrown up against the wall beneath Roxanne, who gasped.

"Retaliate with your own Water Gun attack!" the Gym Leader countered.

"Do it again, and don't hold back!" Thomas commanded.

Tirtouga and Slowpoke wasted no time firing blasts of water at one another, and an explosion ensued after the attacks collided. Both combatants were hurled through the water before eventually coming to a stop a few feet in front of their trainers, allowing Roxanne to issue another attack.

"Hurry and strike with Rollout!" she screamed.

Before Thomas could so much as blink, Tirtouga retracted her limbs and began to spin like a drill as she approached Slowpoke. Large droplets of water splashed the Alolan, causing him to flinch while his Pokemon waited for an order, shifting her gaze between her trainer and foe.

Because of the lack of a response from Thomas, Slowpoke was steamrolled and sent tumbling into the depths of the water-based battlefield. The scoreboard overhead showed footage of the Psychic-type sinking limply, drawing a series of cusses from her trainer before he racked his mind in search of a counterattack. All of the momentum he had built got up and left town for greener pastures.

Roxanne gave a relieved smile after looking away from the footage, thinking, _Checkmate._

"Use Rollout again to finish this up!"

The prehistoric Pokemon cried in response as she retracted her limbs once again and spun while closing in on her target. Slowpoke was still sinking even as Tirtouga drew closer, but her eyes suddenly shot open when Thomas stomped and let out a roar.

"Add some bulk by using Curse, and stop her cold with Tackle!" the seventeen-year-old ordered.

His voice managed to reach Slowpoke just in time, as she was surrounded by a pair of red and green rings of light before a blue one followed, indicating her speed had lowered a stage in exchange for boosted attack and defense stats. With that, the pink Pokemon took off like a rocket and crashed into Tirtouga head first, resulting in a geyser erupting from underwater.

Thomas and Roxanne shielded their eyes as water droplets the size of golfballs splattered everywhere. After a few moments, the rookie let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to the stormy waters while Roxanne eyed the scoreboard. Slowpoke and Tirtouga were both on-screen, locked in a fearsome battle to see whose attack would prevail. However, the Gym Leader had a different thought in mind.

"Dive down and use Bite on Slowpoke's tail!" Roxanne instructed before adding, "And don't let go!"

Shooting her head out of her shell as she dove down, the sea turtle snapped her jaws on Slowpoke's tail in an instant, eliciting a pained cry from the pink creature. Thomas cussed once again and peered through the rough waters to see his final Pokemon being dragged around by her tail at absurd speeds. It didn't look like Tirtouga had any plans to let go, - obviously, considering Roxanne told her not to - yet Thomas calmed his nerves by inhaling slowly.

 _How can I get her out of this situation? There has to be some move that'll shake Tirtouga off..._ the young man pondered. She had both a physical and special attack, as well as a stat-changing move, yet none of them would work, at least not with the position Tirtouga was in.

Then it hit him.

"That's it! Use Yawn and follow it up with Water Gun!"

Slowpoke grunted to herself after hearing Thomas' instructions, and she threw all of her weight towards the wall Tirtouga had been swimming near. As a result of the sudden change in direction, Tirtouga crashed and lost her grip on Slowpoke's tail. That allowed the Kantonian Pokemon to swim over and release a cloud of pink bubbles, all of which popped on contact with her foe, whose eyelids dropped dramatically.

The confident grin Roxanne had been showing off disappeared after she watched a blast of water hit, and fling, Tirtouga towards the lights hanging from the ceiling. Still, she kept her composure and threw her hand towards the ground while Slowpoke shot out of the water like a missile.

"This is it, Tirtouga! Use Rollout one last time!"

"Not on our watch!" Thomas screamed as his opponent's Pokemon groggily rubbed both her eyes with her flippers. "Slowpoke, fire a full power Water Gun!"

The pink creature continued to ascend out of the water and even flew past Tirtouga, eliciting gasps from everyone in the arena. She quickly flipped upside-down so that her face was aimed at the battlefield, and then Slowpoke unleashed one final Water Gun attack with all of her might.

The blast of water struck Tirtouga and slammed her into the battlefield - which was more like a pool. An eruption of water followed the impact and everyone on the first floor was soaked to the skin as a result.

After Slowpoke landed in the pool and swam over to Thomas, Fletchling, and Treecko, the referee raised both arms and pointed at Tirtouga, who had resurfaced.

"Tirtouga is unable to continue! That means Thomas, Slowpoke, Treecko, and Fletchling are the winners!"

Thomas looked up at the scoreboard and gaped as it showed his and his Pokemon's pictures with the title, 'WINNERS', placed beneath them.

Treecko beamed at the visual, Fletchling pounded his chest with both wings, and Slowpoke simply watched Roxanne make her way from her side of the battlefield to the other. Upon arriving, she knelt down and smiled at the three victorious Pokemon.

"Congratulations on your victory. I can't remember the last time I had that much fun battling."

She then extended a hand to Treecko, then Fletchling, and finally Slowpoke. After that, Roxanne stood up and shook Thomas' hand.

"I wish you all the best from here on out, because each Gym Leader's a lot stronger than I am."

"Thank you, it means a lot to hear that," Thomas said with a bow. "It's hard to believe things are going to be that hard, but I guess that'll make us train a lot more."

The teacher nodded and drew a tiny piece of metal from her pocket, which she then handed to Thomas while saying, "As a sign of your victory here at the Rustboro City Gym, I've given you the Stone Badge. You all earned it."

Before Thomas could say a word, each of his three Pokemon huddled around him and marveled at the badge.

That one piece of metal signaled their clearing the first of many hurdles, and while they knew they had a long way to go, the road no longer looked as daunting.

* * *

 **Damn, that was a long battle, although I think it might be the shortest of the Gyms. So Thomas earned his first badge in a narrow victory over Roxanne, and all three members of the team registered a knockout! Blade - still Hoenn's Champion** **because he's a badass** **\- also made an appearance, and then some guy appeared with a Gallade, though very little information was given about him.  
** **Anyhow, the Rustboro Arc is officially over, which means we're moving on to Dewford! I think you'll like/love what's to come - especially with the non-action chapters - so make sure to keep an eye out for updates.  
** **Till next time, peace out.**

 **Special thanks to** _ **ShadowDragon9000**_ **for letting me use his OC, Blade!**

 **1.** **Thoughts on the battle?** **Which team member was the most impressive?  
2\. Who do you think the guy with a Gallade is?  
3\. What's your favorite Alolan Pokemon (not Alola-Form)? Right now I'm stuck between Lycanroc Midday form and Passimian :I  
4\. In your opinion, should Thomas ever meet (and/or battle) Owen and/or Gray? Why or why not?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "An Ever-Expanding Shadow"**_

 _ **Hoenn, like most of the other regions, is relishing in a time of peace and prosperity, the likes of which hasn't been seen for decades. That will change, however, as destruction, the likes of which the world has never seen, lurks, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. What is this wicked force?**_

* * *

 **Dewford Town Arc**

 **Chapter 10: Trial by Fire  
Chapter 11: Beauty and the Bird  
Chapter 12: Hurricane Season  
Chapter 13: Tough Tides of Teamwork  
** **Chapter 14: Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!  
** **Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!  
** **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl**


	9. An Ever-Expanding Shadow

**Welcome back, mis amigos, a la capitulo nueve de PHA:TFG! Last chapter featured the Gym Battle between Thomas and Roxanne, which included stellar performances from all three of Treecko, Fletchling, and Slowpoke. Blade, Hoenn's Champion, was also introduced, as was an unnamed character with a Gallade, and that's it. This chapter will focus on the introduction of the villains, who should be quite the threat. With that out of the way, let's get going!**

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Nice to know it was worth the wait :D I put a lot of effort into the battle (a lot more than usual), so I'm glad you pointed out some of the tactics that were used (the tornado, for example). I think you're right about Fletchling putting in work, but it might've been too much. Emotional connections for the win tho xD_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Surprisingly I'm not xD Gallade guy doesn't have anything to do with Wally, and he could be involved with the evil team. I think it'd be cool if Thomas battled one/both of them, though to be fair, Gray was going to lose in the Unova League finals_

 **Sparkydragon98:** _Thanks! It took so much effort, and I think it turned out well too. Surprisingly, Gallade Guy won't be affiliated with the evil organization, although that doesn't make him an ally ;)_

 **dragonplayer18:** _I realized how long it had been and decided I needed to finish the chapter that day xD Gallade Guy is a much more experienced trainer than Thomas, but at the same time, he's not. It's difficult to elaborate without spoiling anything, so I'll stop there. Also, those are both awesome Pokemon (Salandite - spelled incorrectly, probably - is so cool)!_

 **3-E Student:** _Well, you won't be seeing either of them for quite a long time (I think) if they do appear, so you'll have to keep on wondering :I Thanks! I've come up with some pretty tough teams for each of the Gym Leaders, so not only will Thomas have a challenge, y'all will get to see new teams! Popplio's final evolution is possibly my favorite of the three (Rowlet's tho), and I think it'll be the best_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Thank you! Treecko vs Cranidos was a lot of fun to write given the whole subplot of wanting to win for Fletchling, and I'm glad you liked it! And those reasons are more than good enough to argue for Owen and Gray reappearing_

 **MCMXCV:** _Oh, you haven't seen anything from her yet. Just wait a few arcs for Sceptile to be a thing xD That's a great guess in regards to Gallade Guy, and a cool idea of how Tom could meet Gray and/or Owen_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Eh, writing the battle took a lot longer than it should've, but oh well xD I like that you pointed out how neither Blade or Gallade Guy were interested in Thomas, rather they were more fixated on the battle itself. Fletchling vs Archen was my favorite too, though I don't know why, lol. The Jangmo-o line is wonderful, really, and I'd much rather see Owen battle Thomas, too. Although I think a Gray vs Owen chapter would happen if Thomas doesn't battle the second-gen star_

 **Guest:** _That won't happen because this story doesn't take place during Gray's travels. There have been many hints telling y'all when it is taking place_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 12, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack  
Fletchling, (m), level 13, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

A slender figure in black bolted down the street, weaving between waves of people without even the slightest bit of hesitation. No matter where the obstacles were placed, the person would juke or spin their way past. The backpack they had strapped on bounced up and down with each stride, but the sound of hurried footsteps overmatched its rhythmic shaking.

"You won't get away from us!"

"Yeah! Get back here now and we'll let you off easy!"

The fleeing party snickered to themselves and kept dodging oncoming foot traffic while the pursuers were lost in the seemingly endless wave of people leaving work for home. Seconds later, the person that had been chased after turned at the corner and hurried down a dark alley where they hid behind a dumpster.

Once again, the sound of footsteps in the form of running filled the air, except this time flashlights were being used.

 _Shit. How's a girl supposed to get out of a situation like this?_ the woman thought to herself as she rubbed her forehead. She scanned the area briefly until her eyes fell on a ladder, which she rushed over to and scaled in no time. Upon reaching the roof, the lady stared out at the city and sighed in relief. _Looks like I lost those goons._

She smiled to herself and fiddled with the Poke Ball in her right hand while surveying the area for a minute or so before finally sitting down. Once she did, she stared at the bracelet on her wrist and tapped it lightly.

"Rojo here. Does anyone copy?"

The woman lifted her finger off a button on the bracelet and waited for a response, which came rather swiftly.

"Verde hears ya loud and clear!" someone shouted before inquiring, "Are you in position, Rojo?"

After face-palming, Rojo replied, "Affirmative. What about the others?"

"Of course we are," a feminine voice shot back in an instant. "Honestly, Rojo, you ask some of the dumbest questions I've ever heard, and that's saying something."

Suddenly, the bracelet flashed and holograms of three people dressed in all green, yellow, and blue, respectively, appeared. The last of the three had her hands on her hips and seemed to be glaring daggers, though it was impossible to tell given the fact that she was wearing a black visor.

"You should be a little nicer, Azul," the man in yellow opined quietly, biting his lip. "We just want-"

"Don't tell me how to act, got it?" snapped the blue-clad woman.

Before she could go off on her fellow jumpsuit-wearing counterpart, Azul was silenced by someone clearing their throat. The man in green then clapped his hands together, causing his allies to jump.

"Listen," he began, "we're getting this over with as soon as possible, or else..." his deep voice trailed off, and the man shuddered along with his comrades. "Well, let's just make sure we do our job. Azul, you and Rojo are going to enter through the back while Amarillo and I enter from the right side."

"Right!" Amarillo, Rojo, and Azul exclaimed. The video chat ended immediately, and with that, the four people initiated the second phase of their plan.

Each one of the four took off in a flash and without a sound, disappearing almost like phantoms. Rojo jumped from one rooftop to another, sprinting towards her destination with the Poke Ball still firmly planted in the palm of her hand. She held it there the entire trek, but when the young woman arrived at her assigned coordinates, she stopped running and placed the device in her pocket.

Slowly making her way across the rooftop and towards the door that led downstairs, Rojo jumped and grabbed onto the top of the walled structure. Once she pulled herself up, the young woman took the Poke Ball out and sat down with her legs crossed.

"It's about time you made it," Azul snapped from below, causing Rojo to lean forward and nearly fall off her perch. The woman in blue looked at her partner through the thick, black visors covering her face, and let out a sigh while shaking her head. "We need to hurry. Everyone's waiting on us... as usual."

Rojo flinched at the comment, yet she kept silent and followed Azul across several other rooftops. The two eventually came to a stop after what must've been five minutes, and they stared at the massive building to their left. Across the street was Rustboro City's Gym, which was all but vacant since the moon was out. Rojo leaned back, gazing at the night sky while her partner tapped the bracelet on her wrist and spoke.

"Team Morado is ready when you are, Verde."

"Roger that. And make sure you and Rojo use Lucario and Scizor," the man said in his deep voice. "The others have already taken out the guards, so you two just need to get into the vault."

Azul turned to her partner after ending the call and stared at her blankly. The woman in red, however, paid no attention and continued to analyze each and every star up above. The sound of Azul clearing her throat snapped Rojo out of her trance, and a sheepish laugh followed as the younger of the two rubbed the back of her head.

"You heard Verde, didn't you?"

Rojo nodded and tossed a Poke Ball at the same time as her partner. After two bursts of light escaped the capsules, a Lucario and Scizor stood in-between the trainers. Neither said a word, instead deciding to listen to instructions. They were stated rather quickly by Azul, though both of the Pokemon were ready for that, thus allowing them to understand everything they had to do.

"Okay, time to go and get that stone," Azul muttered, drawing a grunt from her Lucario. Scizor and Rojo, meanwhile, glanced at one another and then nodded in agreement with their partners.

And with that, they headed for the building.

 **000**

As she extended her leg through the window, Rojo's grip on the wall tightened. Her foot plunged into the darkness of the room, but her whole body followed. The drop was far too great, causing the young woman to hit the ground face first. Much to her dismay, the lights turned on a nanosecond after, and there, standing in the corner of the room suppressing her laughter, was Azul. Lucario also had a smirk on her face, but Scizor differed from the two, as she hurried over to Rojo's side.

"Are you all right, Ro?" the Bug-type inquired, drawing a nod from her trainer as she rose to her feet. "Good. So where are we supposed to find this stone, Azul?"

The aforementioned woman pulled up a hologram on her wristband and pointed at the red mark plotted in the far corner of the map. "This dot is where the stone's being held, and we're right here," she said, placing her finger on a white circle that was only a door away from their destination. "How lucky."

Both of the trainers headed for the door with their Pokemon in tow, and just as Rojo attempted to turn the knob, Lucario jumped in front of her. The startled woman shrieked, but not before Azul covered her mouth and glared. The younger of the two sweat-dropped while Lucario opened the door and looked both ways down the hallway.

Scizor and Rojo kept a few feet away from the door and looked around the room they were in. It was littered with documents and filing cabinets, as well as fossils in incubators and desktops that had been turned off for the night.

Leaning to her side a bit, the woman in red put a hand over her mouth and whispered, "What do you think people do in this office?"

Scizor's eyes darted across the room before she turned to her trainer and inhaled deeply. "I don't know," she answered, causing Rojo to deadpan. Just as the Bug-type was about to laugh, she felt something tap her shoulder.

Lucario was standing less than a foot away from Scizor with her right paw enveloped in aura. The clips of hair on the sides of the jackal's head were also elevated and sticking out horizontally.

"Follow me."

The red duo nodded and followed their blue counterparts into the hallway. Lucario looked around the area with a scowl until she made her first move, which was one slow, calculated step. It was almost as if she was trying to avoid a wire of sorts, which seemed to be taking a toll on the Fighting-type, as sweat was beating down her head.

"Nobody follow me until I tell you too, okay?" the aura-wielding Pokemon requested, which was met with three nods. "Okay, no more wasting time."

Azul grinned at the comment and folded her arms over her chest. Suddenly, Lucario did a series of flips and rolls, and she even jumped from one wall to the other. Rojo's jaw hit the ground once her comrade's Pokemon reached the end of the hallway and stood by the door they needed to get into.

Once there, the jackal turned and said, "There are a bunch of lasers that'll set off an emergency alarm if you touch them, so be care-"

"Light Screen!" Rojo exclaimed, cutting the Pokemon off mid-sentence.

Azul rolled her eyes as Scizor extended both of her arms forwards and created a glass box of gold light, which encapsulated her and the two women. The three immediately began walking down the hallway with the lasers being reflected, and they reached Lucario in a matter of seconds, much to the Fighting-type's dismay.

"Now bust the door down with Force Palm."

Lucario snapped out of her gloomy state and obeyed her trainer's command, placing one paw against the door as she closed her eyes. A wave of light rushed through the bipedal Pokemon and exploded through her palm, blowing the door off its hinges. The quartet hurried into the room and immediately spotted a tiny stone in a glass case that was resting on a mantle.

"That was too damn easy," Azul muttered as she walked over to the stone and snatched it. "Let's hurry out of here and report back to base as soon as we're in the clear."

 **000**

Waves crashed along the sandy shores of Shalour City as the sun crept over the horizon. A pair of eyes belonging to a young blonde took in the sight, as did her six Pokemon. Each of them were relaxing, allowing their fingers and toes to run through the sand just like their trainer.

She smiled at the thought of no one being awake other than her, but that soon faded as the soothing sounds of the tides took control of her mind. Wingull and Pelipper squawked overhead as they flew out into the ocean, leaving the Kalos region behind in hopes of finding a warmer place to live.

Had it been a few years ago, the woman wouldn't have been able to enjoy such a beautiful morning. Lucky for her, the odds of any terrorist group attacking was as close to zero as humanly possible.

You see, there was a deal made between the four strongest regions - those being Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Kalos - ensuring that if any one of them were under attack, the other three would provide military aide. And while it might seem like it was only a matter of time before something like that took form, none of it would've happened had it not been for the relationships of the current Champions.

"Hey, do you guys remember when we came back here to compete in the Kalos League?" the blonde asked as she turned to her Pokemon.

Each member of her team, save for one, which was sitting by the edge of a cliff, nodded emphatically, eliciting a giggle from the young woman. She returned to her original position of laying on her back - hands behind her head - and staring out at the ocean, but stares from the Pokemon made her sit upright.

"What's wrong? Did I say something?"

The two closest to her, who happened to be on either side of the young woman, locked eyes and bit their lips. Their trainer sat up and looked back and forth before standing and staring at them both.

"Well? Is someone going to answer me?"

Both Pokemon rose immediately, prompting their three teammates to do the same while the fourth looked on from his seat in a tree branch.

"Samurott and I were just confused about why you brought up the Kalos League, that's all," the larger of the two, an orange-skinned lizard with wings, stated.

"Yeah, exactly what Charizard said," the second Pokemon, a quadrupedal sea-lion, added. "It's not like you to bring something up and drop it. Right, guys?"

The three other Pokemon - which were an Ursaring, a Luxray, and a Scrafty - reluctantly murmured in support of the claim as they all stared at the ground.

"I'm sure even he'd say yes if I were to ask," Samurott added as she pointed towards the cliff, where her final team member sat.

It was an owl that wore a mask of leaves around its head, though its most notable features were its brown wings, which had the sharpest feathers in the world, and two strings around its neck that it used as a bow.

Rolling her eyes, the young blonde began to turn away from her Pokemon until she saw an arrow whiz by her eyes and land about three feet away. Then, appearing out of nowhere was the final member of her team, who picked up his arrow and examined the sharp tip despite his trainer's glare.

"What the hell were you thinking, Robinhoot?!" she interrogated as the Grass-type continued to stare at the arrow he was holding.

Without so much as a word, his neck snapped up and Robinhoot fired another arrow, this time just barely missing Charizard and Samurott. The duo stormed over to their Alolan friend and, just as they were about to grab ahold of his throat, Robinhoot pointed at something behind them.

When both Pokemon turned, they immediately spotted a young man who had stopped dead in his tracks. The Greninja accompanying him had caught the feather Robinhoot shot before it could hit his trainer, drawing a sigh of relief from the young man.

"Damn, your aim's as amazing as ever, Robinhoot!" the trainer exclaimed.

The Alolan starter bowed and gave an informal salute to Greninja, who smiled as he threw the arrow into the sand.

"I can't say I'm surpri- oof!" the young man grunted as a pair of arms clamped around his chest, knocking all of the wind out of his lungs. When he looked down to see who had embraced him, he smiled upon spotting the blonde.

"I can't believe you're back!" she yelled. "How was the meeting?"

A groan followed, eliciting laughter from the blonde as she and her male counterpart sat down on the sand and locked eyes.

"Eh, boring as usual," he replied with a slick grin. "Your old man sure is losing that fun side he used to have, that's for sure."

The young man received a playful slap and smirk from the blonde before she said, "Oh shut up. You'd be pretty damn boring if you were him too, Tyson."

Laughing at the proclamation, Tyson leaned back and let his hands sink into the sandy surface as he stared out at the ocean along with his friend. "Actually, there was one thing that came up when I was talking to your dad."

"And that is?"

Tyson sighed and folded his arms, piquing the blonde's interest.

"According to Blade, someone stole a mysterious stone from the Rustboro City Science Center. He isn't sure if it was done by a group of professionals that just wanted some money, or if it was a terrorist group."

The Kalosian kept quiet while turning to face the young woman before him, but when she motioned for him to continue, he did.

"Owen sent me out to look for you, so here I am." He paused for a moment. "Oh! And then he said, quote, 'I want you to tell Molly to go to Hoenn and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity,' or something like that."

Molly stared at Tyson in silence along with her Pokemon, causing the powerful trainer to sweat-drop along with Greninja. All of a sudden, Molly rose to her feet and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"Thanks for the message, Ty."

Tyson watched as Molly turned to her Pokemon and withdrew all of them before making her way back to the city. At least, that's what she tried to do. Quick to react, Tyson shot up to his feet and grabbed Molly by the wrist, causing her to turn with a flinch.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you _one_ important detail!"

The Champion's daughter looked him in the eyes for what must've felt like an eternity before finally learning the information, which was delivered with an ear-to-ear grin.

"It's actually two, now that I think about it, but whatever. One: I'm coming with you!"

Molly was just about to embrace the Kalosian, but when he stuck his hand out to tell her to stop, she did. "What's the matter? Is the second detail that important?"

A nod was Tyson's response, silencing Molly.

"Two: we might run into _her_."

* * *

 **Woah, those people are actually competent. That's not good, not one bit.  
So y'all were introduced to some key members of the evil group - it's unnamed as of this point - that should rival Grim for actually being good at their job (being evil), though I think the members will be much more interesting than their Grim counterparts. Back to the topic at hand, this organization will be a serious threat throughout the story (they'll die down around the middle, but they're in action in almost every arc) and provide a pretty epic obstacle for Thomas to overcome. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that Molly Plateau andTyson Pernell (you already knew about the latter, but whatever), will help combat these evildoers, so there's something to look forward to :D  
As for next chapter, it will focus on Ashley and her team (mainly Torchic) as they battle a trainer far more powerful than they could've imagined, which should be fun to read. ****Till next time, peace out.  
** **On a side note, thank you all for the support. 100 reviews in 8 chapters... I'm at a loss for words.**

 **Also, special thanks to _Blaze Falcon_ for allowing me to use his character, Tyson Pernell!**

 **1\. Who is this "her" Tyson's talking about?  
2\. Do you like the idea of Molly being in the story, or should she be scrapped?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Trial by Fire"**_

 _ **As they peruse Dewford Town, Ashley and Torchic run into a woman with an Infernape. Torchic eagerly challenges them to a battle despite Ashley's detesting, and after the powerful duo accepts, Ashley finds herself in over her head. Torchic, however, refuses to give in and goes beyond his limits, suffering devastating injuries that result in a rush for help! Will Ashley be able to save her very first Pokemon's life?**_

* * *

 **Dewford Town Arc**

 **Chapter 11: Beauty and the Bird  
Chapter 12: Hurricane Season  
Chapter 13: Tough Tides of Teamwork  
** **Chapter 14: Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!  
** **Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!  
** **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl**


	10. Trial by Fire

**A new theme song, and it's filled with quite a few spoilers/teasers for these upcoming arcs (kind of). Anyways, welcome back to another chapter!  
Last time around, a group of four people named Rojo, Azul, Verde, and Amarillo stole some random stone from Rustboro City, which led to Tyson and Molly being called in as backup so nothing like that happens again.  
This chapter will focus on Ashley and her relationship with her Pokemon, though it'll mainly be Torchic. Now let's get going!**

 **dragonplayer18:** _Lol, Robinhoot's just a nickname people gave it (Luchalitten was Incinerorar's). Decidueye's so badass; I really love the Grass/_ _Ghost_ _typing_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _It honestly didn't feel like that long, and the thing is it had been done for about... two weeks actually xD I know what you mean about loving/hating the chapter, since it wasn't revealing in the slightest, but you'll be seeing a lot of the Spanish color admins in this arc, as well as the next, so hopefully that makes up for it. Thomas and Molly will also interact with Thomas (the former was obvious based on the titles, but Molly will sooner or later), and no... it can't be... "her." Thanks for the support!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Admins... yes xD Molly and Tyson are also only a part of the sub-story, with two other characters playing critical roles in that alongside them. As for the name, it's going to be Latin unless something like Grim comes to mind, and you'll definitely see whether or not Molly inherited any skill from Owen in the near future :D And that prediction tho... too accurate xD_

 **MCMXCV:** _Thank you! I think you'll be surprised by Rojo's allegiance to the unknown group, but her switching sides would be an interesting turn of events, to say the least. I'm also glad you mentioned a fusion between Owen's and Brooklyn's characteristics being in Molly, which is something I hope I can portray well_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _I'm hoping they're able to stick out from the pack, and they should appear a lot more often than every other villainous group, so that's one way to do it. Molly and Tyson will play critical roles in the future, and you'll be seeing just how powerful the former's become sooner or later_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 12, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack  
Fletchling, (m), level 13, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

"It's great we're finally training!"

Torchic bounded out of the Pokemon Center, making his way through the legs of people that were standing around the lobby and talking to one another. Ashley rolled her eyes at the Fire-type, as did Rufflet, but they followed the chicken outside, where he was jumping up and down with an ear-to-ear smile.

"Hey, Ashley, are we gonna get to battle any trainers today?" Torchic inquired.

Ignoring the comment as she walked away from her starter, Ashley glanced back to face both of the Pokemon. She then shook her head, drawing a groan from Torchic while Rufflet shook his head, kept quiet, and inched away from the Fire-type. Ashley, on the other hand, marched over to her first Pokemon and leaned over him.

Whether he was oblivious to, or just chose to ignore, Ashley's presence, Torchic continued to smile and jump. "At least we're still sharpening our skills, right? That's always a good thing!" he exclaimed. "Don't you think so, Rufflet?"

The Flying-type, having noticed the growing rage in his trainer, didn't dare respond to the inquiry, causing Torchic to turn his way.

"Stop talking."

Both Pokemon flinched and immediately looked up at the seventeen-year-old, whose eyes were burning with flames as intense as the sun, yet the orange chicken's smile returned in a moment's notice. Ashley threw her hands up with a groan, having grown tired of her starter's antics, and began to walk away from him. Despite the young woman's brooding, Torchic and Rufflet followed her around Dewford Town as they searched for a spot to train.

After ten minutes, the three managed to find a secluded area by the beach. The spot was shaped like a circle, and there was thick foliage all around, preventing anyone from watching without being noticed. Off to the side of the sandy opening were two palm trees that curved in opposite directions. For whatever reason, Ashley found herself staring at them for such a long time Rufflet had to fly in front of her to get her attention.

"Oh, uh... let's get started with some basic stretching, and then we'll get into the workout."

"All right!" Torchic roared as he gave it his absolute all during stretches, causing Rufflet to sweat-drop while Ashley buried her face in her hands. Having blazed through the warmup, torchic hopped up onto his feet and hurried over to his trainer, asking, "So what's the first thing we're doing today?"

She stared in complete silence, watching her Pokemon run around energetically with a smile that could've lit up a room. Her lack of speaking continued, as did Torchic's sprinting and Rufflet's stretching, but all of that came to a crashing halt when a wave of fire erupted and cleared the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Ashley asked herself in a hush murmur. Both Pokemon managed to overhear their trainer, even with her lack of volume, and they exchanged curious glances.

Rufflet suddenly motioned for Torchic to talk to Ashley, and so he did.

"Can we please go check that out? I really want to fight whatever caused that fire!" the chicken screamed, which was met with a slight chirp of support from his winged teammate. "Come on! You can even catch the thing when I'm done beating it to a pulp!"

Ashley bit her lip and looked down at the ground, contemplating whether or not she wanted to investigate the fire. Slowing her breathing to calm her heart, the young woman lifted her gaze. Her heart rate spiked immediately after she noticed Torchic had gone missing, and so did the Unovan Pokemon's when Ashley chased him.

"I didn't see him leave! I swear!" the eaglet shrieked over and over again, only for his words to fall on deaf ears. Ashley continued to chase him around, but Rufflet, using his head, ascended as high as he could, leaving Ashley all by her lonesome on the ground.

Once he felt she had cooled down, the eaglet descended a bit and asked, "So do you want me to go look for him?"

The ruby-eyed girl paused for a moment when she leaned against one of the palm trees that had previously caught her eye, and then she turned to Rufflet and nodded, but not before adding, "And I'm going with you."

Both trainer and Pokemon took off towards the fire that had interrupted their training session, with the former navigating her way through hundreds of plants and bushes while Rufflet avoided any obstacles by flying above the trees. He used his excellent sight to search for Torchic, but came up empty just like Ashley, further agitating the rookie.

"Where the hell could that idiot have run off to?" she asked, stomping shortly thereafter. "Do you see anything up there, Rufflet?"

No response came, prompting Ashley to look to the sky, where she saw Rufflet flying around in a circle. Ashley took off right away, barreling through rosebushes and tree branches as if they were nothing until there was nothing left in her way. She had managed to reach a part of Granite Cave's exterior, which looked nearly identical to the secluded spot she, Torchic, and Rufflet had found aside from a waterfall flowing from the top of the cave.

"Ashley!" an all too familiar voice exclaimed, causing Ashley to turn and gasp. Torchic sprinted over to her before stopping a few feet away, beaming. "Guess what? I met the Pokemon that made that explosion of fire!"

The rookie trainer raised an eyebrow and followed her Pokemon to a different part of the oasis. There were boulders scattered everywhere, and there wasn't even a speck of grass, presumably because of the boulders ripping them up.

"Excuse me, Carla! I found my trainer!" shouted the Fire-type.

Ashley looked around the training area before shifting her focus to Torchic, who continued to search for the person named Carla. After taking a glance at a boulder to his right, Torchic jumped the very next second when it exploded into a million pieces, revealing a powerful Pokemon that looked like a monkey, and its trainer.

An intense flame protruded out of the ape's head, which stood out even more because of the Pokemon's white hair.

"Infernape, the Flame Pokemon, and the final evolution of Chimchar. Its crown of fire is indicative of its fiery nature. It is beaten by none in terms of quickness."

 _An Infernape? What's a trainer doing here with a Pokemon like that?_

Ashley's thoughts were stopped short when a red-haired woman, who was no older than twenty, stepped her way over the rubble and squatted next to Torchic with a smile. She then placed a hand on the Hoennian starter's head and rubbed it while Infernape kept its distance.

"Oh, is this your trainer?" Carla inquired before looking up at Ashley, who awkwardly nodded in response. "I'm so happy to hear that you found her! My name's Carla, and this is my best friend, Infernape."

The monkey waved upon hearing his name, though Ashley didn't return the gesture.

"Her name's Ashley. She's not a big talker," Torchic whispered to Carla. He then hurried over to Ashley's side.

"Don't run off again."

The bipedal chicken nodded with a smile and then turned to his trainer, jumping up and down as he did so. Rufflet landed just as Torchic finished his hopping routine, and when he did, he looked over at Infernape and declared, "You and me are going to have a battle! Right here; right now!"

Initially, both Ashley and Rufflet deadpanned while Carla and Infernape stared at Torchic blankly. The Fire-type looked around at his befuddled audience for a few seconds and then returned his gaze to the monkey standing across from him.

"Yeah, that's right," Torchic said, nodding as he did so. "I want to battle you so I can get stronger, so let's do it!"

Again, Infernape blinked slowly without saying a word, just like Ashley, who was unable to speak. Rufflet shook his head only to stop when he watched Carla slam both of her palms together, creating a thunderous clap that made everyone flinch.

Once the elder trainer saw she was at the center of attention, she cleared her throat and said, "We accept your challenge, but remember, we're not good at holding back."

Infernape grunted in support of his trainer's statement, putting a smile on Torchic's face. He then spun and smiled at Ashley and Rufflet, though neither of them reciprocated. Ashley sighed, burying her face in her hands while her starter jumped from one foot to the other, eliciting a pair of laughs from Carla and Infernape.

"He can't seriously be going through with this, can he?" Rufflet asked himself as he watched Torchic hop over to Infernape and bow. The elder Fire-type nodded in response, so Torchic hurried back to Ashley's side and flashed another ear-to-ear grin. "Oh shit, he really is."

Ashley, having moved her hands away from her face, looked at Torchic and shook her head, saying, "There's no way I'm going to battle them." Torchic tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, prompting his trainer to elaborate. "You're not close to being strong enough. It's a bad idea."

"She's right," Rufflet added. He walked over and glanced at the duo before shifting his gaze towards Carla. "They're way out of our lea-"

"I don't care about winning or losing this battle!" Torchic cried, cutting his teammate off. Ashley flinched at the sudden explosion and stared at her Pokemon, who returned the stare. "I want to get stronger, and I can do that by battling Infernape. So either I'm doing it on my own, or you can help me. It's your choice," the chick proclaimed. He then turned his back to Ashley and remained motionless, waiting for the young woman's response.

It didn't come immediately, as Ashley continued to stare at her Pokemon in silence. Where did that sudden burst of intensity come from? Was that really the Torchic she knew? Questions like those flooded the rookie's mind, putting her in a trance that prevented anyone from reaching her.

Ashley snapped out of it in an instant and cracked her knuckles, unknowingly drawing a smirk from her opponents.

"Fine, I'll help."

Torchic hid a smile by keeping his back to Ashley, and when he lifted his head up, he squawked at Infernape. "All right!" The sudden outburst caught everyone off guard, but Torchic kept screaming. "There's no way we're gonna lose! Get ready, you two!"

Infernape and Carla nodded before the latter extended her hand, motioning for Ashley and Torchic to make the first move. Not needing a second invitation, the younger trainer threw her arm forwards and began the battle.

"Torchic, use Growl while charging, and then use Peck!"

The armless Pokemon took off like a bat out of hell, growling as he did so. A ring of red light spun around Infernape's body for a moment before Torchic left his feet and speared the Fighting-type in the chest with his glowing beak. The Hoennian Pokemon then attempted to run away, but Infernape was too quick to let that happen. Grabbing his opponent by the legs, he threw Torchic a few yards, causing the chick to bounce along the ground.

"Infernape, Mach Punch!" Carla ordered.

Obeying, Infernape shot forwards while his hand surged with light blue energy, and he threw his fist forwards. It connected with Torchic's face, sending him hurtling through the air and into a tree behind Ashley and Rufflet, both of whom turned on a dime to stare at what Infernape had done. The tree Torchic had collided with snapped and fell over, causing a domino effect that led to several others being toppled. Despite the damage to the area, Torchic rose to his feet and scurried back to Ashley's side with a grin.

"Hey, not bad!" he exclaimed, generating a deadpan expression from Infernape while Carla continued to laugh to herself. "But that's not enough to take me out!"

With that, Torchic lowered his head and sprinted towards his opponent.

"Stop, jump, and use Ember on the ground in front of Infernape!" Ashley commanded, throwing both of her arms out to her sides.

Torchic planted his feet and shot into the air immediately after hearing his trainer. He reared his head back after reaching the apex of his jump, and Torchic unleashed bullets of fire from his mouth, all of which exploded upon impact with the sand-covered ground. Carla's eyes darted from side to side as she assessed the situation. Ashley took notice and grinned, but her confidence faded in an instant when the elder trainer snapped her fingers.

"Swallow the fire and then use Flamethrower!"

Rufflet deadpanned immediately along with Ashley, but their baffled expressions vanished when Infernape did exactly as he was told. As a result, the opposing trainer's jaw hit the ground at the same time as Rufflet's. Suddenly, Infernape threw his head forwards while a wave of fire rushed out of his mouth and engulfed Torchic, who let out a brief scream before the body of fire exploded. Torchic was then thrown passed Ashley, making her turn around once again and watch as he crashed through a pile of downed trees, shattering them into millions of pieces.

"Torchic!" the aforementioned Pokemon's trainer shrieked as she rushed towards him.

Before Ashley could reach Torchic, a burst of fire erupted from the scraps of wood piled and sent them flying. The Fire-type proceeded to take a step forward, allowing his trainer, teammate, and opponents to see the wounds on his body. Burn marks were everywhere and his mouth was bleeding a bit, but none of that was able to wipe the grin off his face.

"Heh... I told you..." he said, panting between each word while stumbling. "I'm not going down... without a fight!"

 _SMACK!_

Torchic hit the ground face first right after his proclamation, shocking everyone into a state of silence. Rufflet was the first to reach Torchic's side, albeit at a sluggish pace, and he tapped the chick's head with his wing.

"Yo! Torchic, you okay?"

There was no response, not even the slightest movement. Torchic's eyes remained shut and blood continued to drop out of his mouth at a steady rate, drawing the presence of Ashley, Carla, and Infernape. The latter two covered their mouths and looked at the ruby-eyed girl to their left, though she paid them no attention. Instead, she stared at her starter, mouth agape, and scowled.

"Get up already, Torchic. We're going to train."

Despite what she said and the look of horror from Rufflet, Ashley didn't move a muscle. Her eyes remained locked on Torchic and his seemingly-lifeless body even as Carla grabbed and shook her shoulder. Only after a minute or so of constant screaming and jabs from the elder trainer, Ashley turned and stared at her blankly.

Carla stepped back and flinched, but she was quick to regain her composure and grab Ashley by the shoulders.

Once she shook her, the powerful trainer yelled, "Ashley! Torchic needs immediate medical attention!"

The ruby-eyed rookie snapped out of her trance after blinking slowly, and she turned to see Infernape picking Torchic up off the ground. He held the chick like a football, having him tucked between his arm and ribs, though it didn't seem to diminish the monkey's speed. Infernape took off in a flash and disappeared into the wilderness just as quickly, leaving his trainer behind with Rufflet and Ashley.

"Rufflet, can you keep an eye on them from above?" Carla requested, generating a nod from the Flying-type.

After he ascended, the eaglet set his sights on Infernape speeding his way through countless trees while still maintaining a strong hold on Torchic.

"Ashley, come on!"

With both ears perking up at the calling of her name, Ashley lifted her gaze from where Torchic had collapsed to Clara, who was sprinting after Infernape. The unfamiliar woman waved one arm in a circular motion as if she was demanding Ashley followed, so the rookie did. Rufflet did too, but his main focus was on his teammate.

Sprinting her way back to Dewford Town, all Ashley could do was picture Torchic and how terrible he looked after being struck by Infernape's Flamethrower attack. She was the one responsible for his condition, and there was nothing she could do except hope for the best.

 **000**

The monitor by Torchic's bedside continued to beat at a constant rate and, with her leg restlessly bouncing up and down, Ashley leaned forward in her chair to stare through the glass windows of the emergency room. Clara and Infernape remained in the Pokemon Center, and the Pokemon paced down the hallway in front of Ashley. Each time Infernape passed by her, he'd apologize to Ashley several times. She never responded verbally, instead opting to nod and wave off the monkey.

"Really, I can't say it enough," the Sinnoh starter said with his head down. "I'm so sorry; I didn't realize how strong that attack was."

Clara, who was next to Ashley and leaning against the wall, motioned with her hand for her friend to stop talking. He closed his mouth in a hurry before returning to pacing, leaving the two girls to themselves and the sound of the heart rate monitor. Neither said a word for a while until Infernape came by again and attempted to apologize, prompting Clara to throw herself forward and turn to Ashley with a concerned smile.

"Do you mind if we go outside for a bit and get some fresh air?"

Ashley shook her head.

"Okay, but call if you need anything," the redhead instructed while grabbing Infernape and spinning him towards the Pokemon Center's entrance. They waved until the automatic doors closed, but Ashley simply turned away without a response and ignored everyone walking into and out of the building.

"I told ya dat wouldn't happen, ya babbo!"

"Call me that one more time and I'll punch your beak through the other end of your skull!"

Suddenly, a series of grunts and cries ensued in the lobby, causing Ashley to turn to her right. Upon doing so, she saw two Pokemon - a Fletchling and Slowpoke - butt heads. A young man stood behind them, but instead of intervening, he ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair with a sigh. Ashley deadpanned at the reaction for a moment, but she quickly redirected her focus towards another Pokemon. She recognized it as a Treecko, and unlike her trainer or teammates, the gecko was aware of Ashley's gaze.

When they locked eyes, the Grass-type gave Ashley an awkward wave, only for the black-haired girl to look away. Treecko hung her head, unaware of Ashley's growing concern over Torchic.

"Treecko, what's wrong?" Slowpoke inquired as she and Fletchling backed away from one another.

Picking herself up, the gecko shook her head and began to walk away while saying, "N-nothing. Let's g-go."

Thomas watched his Pokemon head for their room, but he stayed still and looked towards the emergency room, thinking, _What was Treecko looking at?_

He proceeded to make his way over to the glass windows and peered into the room. All of the beds were vacant except for one, which was occupied by a Torchic covered in burn marks, blood stains, and lacerations, causing him to tense up. Then, out of the corner of his eye, the Alolan spotted Ashley, who was glaring at him.

"What are you looking at?" she hissed.

Thomas angled himself so that he was face to face with the black-haired girl, yet he didn't say a word. The look on Ashley's face was all he needed to see before shaking his head and walking away, muttering, "Nothing. Sorry about that." He never turned back to her, and then Thomas disappeared down another hallway, presumably to go to his room.

 _What a creep,_ Ashley thought while cracking her fingers. _Who the heck was he anyways? Thinking he could just walk up and check on Torchic like that... yeah right._

Ashley bit her lip and leaned back to yawn, allowing her eyelids, which grew heavier by the second, to close. As she drifted off to sleep, there was only one thing on her mind: Torchic's well-being.

* * *

 **Ashley has a heart?! Gasp! That's right, she actually has a softer side given the whole fiasco of Torchic nearly dying, plus she met Thomas (albeit for a second). Next chapter will serve as a continuation of this one (kind of), though the focus will shift between Thomas and a new rival of his, as well as Ashley. Till then, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Beauty and the Bird"**_

 _ **Thomas and his Pokemon decide to spend a day at the beach, but plans change when a trainer asks them to help find her Swablu, and when the group runs into Ashley, who's in search of a battle. Where did Swablu go? Will Ashley and Thomas finally battle?**_

* * *

 **Dewford Town Arc**

 **Chapter 12: Hurricane Season  
Chapter 13: Tough Tides of Teamwork  
** **Chapter 14: Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!  
** **Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!  
** **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl**


	11. Beauty and the Bird

**What's going on, everyone? I'm back with another update, and this one's a bit of a doozy. Last chapter focused on Ashley, Torchic, and Rufflet getting ready to train, but that was derailed when Torchic challenged a girl and her Infernape to a battle. He was destroyed and critically injured, thus leading to the reveal of Ashley's softer side. Lastly, she met Thomas at the Pokemon Center for a brief moment before basically telling him to buzz off.  
This chapter, as mentioned above, is going to be a bit crazy because there'll be a few scene switches. It's also a continuation of the previous one, meaning y'all will get to see some more interaction between Thomas and Ashley! Now, let's get going!**

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _You're like Nostradamus, man! I can't get enough of how fun it is to write Fletchling's dialogue - I actually have a document filled with insults for him to use. Ashley's soft side has been exposed to the people! Her battling tactics are far different from Thomas', yet very similar_ _at the same time. Keep this in mind every time they battle. The meeting was shorter than... wait, that joke's inappropriate xD The Swablu trainer is Lisia (he's right again, folks), and I like the prediction for the battle, specifically how Rufflet would do :D_

 **dragonplayer18:** _Even more gasp! She does! Torchic's a fool, plain and simple, though I agree that Carla's (in my words) a bigger fool for actually accepting the challenge. Thanks for the kind words!_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Sustained! Lol, I kid. Good word choice to describe the scene (that means I did my job!), and her relationship with Torchic will continue to develop whenever they're featured in chapters. Thomas meeting her was crazy, and decided on at the very last second, but you're right that their dynamic will be interesting. Get better soon, Torchic! And random Swablu (plus a possible battle) hype!_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Lol, I was really thinking about having him evolve in a rematch with Infernape, but that seemed really stupid to me since he'd obviously lose. Thomas most certainly did make a bad first impression, and things will only get worse the more they interact_

 **Blaze Falcon:** _The stones are going to be the main focus of the antagonists, though I don't think there'll be a lot of information about them or their power (at least not now). Tyson, Blade, and Molly will definitely make for a more interesting plot, especially when the final confrontation comes and they're all involved. Also, I agree with you about Torchic needing to be healthy for a battle to happen, and I can't wait to see how the relationship between Thomas and Lisia unfolds!_

 **MCMXCV:** _You can say that again (the chapter not being thrilling, that is). Every time Ashley's the center of attention in a chapter, you'll usually get to see a new side to her. As for Carla, that's not her. I just auto generated a name and that was the first one to come up, so I picked it xD_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _She kinda did! Ashley becoming the Hoenn League Champion... lol. It could've been a possibility if Blade weren't already in that spot (shoutout to Blade, btw), though she's most definitely going to be a contender to win the League. If Torchic were to put everything together he'd be the comeback story of the century!_

 **3-E Student:** _Torchic will be fine. And Thomas' traveling companion(s) should provide an interesting spark to the group_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 12, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack  
Fletchling, (m), level 13, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

"Whaddya mean we still ain't trainin', Boss?!"

The explosive scream from Fletchling bounced off the walls and right into Thomas' ears where they rang and rang, causing the seventeen-year-old to wince. He then shot an agitated look towards the Flying-type and muttered a series of expletives under his breath. Slowpoke, who had been napping in the corner of the room, chuckled at Thomas' reaction before making her way over to the rookie.

"He means we still ain't trainin', Boss," she said mockingly.

In less than a fraction of a second, Fletchling pressed his head up against Slowpoke's and growled, but the Water-type smacked his legs out from underneath him just as quickly with her tail. Slowpoke's laughter continued as Fletchling struggled to his feet, but before he could retaliate, Treecko stepped in front of him.

No words were needed, as the look in her eyes was more than enough to keep the robin in check. She then did the same thing to Slowpoke when she laughed, putting a smile on Thomas' face.

"All right, let's get a move on it. I don't want to be left without a spot."

On that note, Thomas grabbed a bag full of beach supplies and headed out the door with the trio of Pokemon following close behind. Once they walked down the hall and entered the lobby, Slowpoke and Fletchling butted heads over some comment made by one of them. Thomas, however, ignored the feuding Pokemon and turned around to face the emergency room windows.

He peered inside and saw the Torchic from the day before was conscious and talking to another Pokemon, one that looked like an eaglet. Upon further investigation, Thomas saw the girl - Ashley - that had shooed him away standing off to the side. Although she didn't speak, her body language said otherwise, or so Thomas opined.

"Ay! Boss!" Fletchling bellowed from across the lobby.

Thomas turned and followed his Pokemon when they waved him over. Still, he couldn't help but take one last look back at the emergency room. The black-haired girl, having been unaware of Thomas' watchful eye, turned and glared right at him with her fierce, ruby eyes. With that, the Alolan exited the Pokemon Center and Ashley turned her attention back to Torchic and Rufflet.

After he stepped foot outside, Thomas exhaled and picked up his pace so he could catch up with his team. When he finally did, Treecko glanced back and smiled. Slowpoke, however, spun around and backpedaled while staring her trainer square in the eyes.

"Thomas?" she called. "What were you looking at for so long back in the Pokemon Center?"

Silence fell over the quartet Thomas turned away from Slowpoke, though that didn't stop her staring. Somehow she managed to backpedal the entire way to the beach, refusing to let her trainer out of her sight for even a second.

"It's almost li-like he zoned out," Treecko opined, generating a nod from the Alolan.

Slowpoke wasn't having any of it, as she shook her head wildly.

"C'mon. Answer the question," she insisted.

The Alolan elected not to respond and focused his sights on the road ahead. Slowpoke rolled her eyes at not only that, but the constant blabbering from Fletchling, provoking the Flying-type. Both Pokemon butted heads despite Treecko standing between them, causing her to jump and let out a startled cry.

Thomas immediately snapped out of his trance as Treecko climbed up his shoulder, causing him to look down at the feuding creatures standing near his feet.

"Why can't you guys just cut it out for once?" Thomas asked rhetorically. He sighed and walked away to the sounds of Wingull squawking overhead. They were headed out to the ocean, and Thomas watched as the flock of Pokemon kept together.

The sound of footsteps behind him caused the Alolan to turn away from all of the Wingull and towards his Pokemon. Fletchling was the first to make himself comfortable, as he was sitting on a chair with both wings tucked behind his head. Slowpoke, on the other hand, rushed towards the water and jumped in while Thomas mimicked Fletchling in laying down. Treecko sat by them and kept to herself like usual.

It had been a little over a week since their victory over Roxanne - and not to mention their last battle. Treecko leaned back, putting most of her weight on her hands that sank in the sand. She remembered exactly what Thomas had said the moment they hit Dewford Town.

 _"Look, we're gonna take a break off for the next week or so. That means no training, no battling, nothing."_

To his credit, Thomas kept his word. He hadn't accepted a single challenge from other trainers, nor did he organize a time to train. Whether or not that was a good thing was debatable, to say the least.

"Thomas?"

The aforementioned trainer turned to face Treecko, who twisted to hold his gaze.

"What's da mattuh, Dollface?" Fletchling quizzed.

Treecko spun around so that her shoulders were squared up to the males before inhaling. After doing so, the gecko cleared her throat for a few seconds and spoke.

"Shou-shouldn't we be tr-training? There are s-s-still a lot of badges to get."

Fletchling shot out of his chair in a heartbeat, exclaiming, "Ay, don't worry bout dat, we's gonna get all of 'em! Ain't dat right, Boss?"

Thomas nodded with a yawn and leaned back in his chair, placing both arms behind his head to the sound of the waves crashing and sweeping over the sand. Fletchling sent a smile Treecko's way. The Grass-type cracked a grin at her teammate then rose to her feet and looked out at the water. She must have made some sort of face afterwards, because Thomas' voice rang in Treecko's ears.

"Don't stress out about it, okay? We'll go back to training tomorrow if you want."

Once again, a smile formed on the gecko's face, and she nodded about a million times while Slowpoke waddled her way up the beach. Her eyes darted from Fletchling, to Thomas, to Treecko, then back to her trainer.

"Ay, it looks like ya brain's boutta explode!" the Kalosian Pokemon shrieked, pointing both of his wings at Slowpoke. The pink creature paid her teammate's comment no attention, instead turning her gaze back to Treecko as she continued to beam at the idea of resuming training.

"What's got her so happy?" Slowpoke questioned. Thomas didn't answer the question, and because he had his eyes closed, he was unaware of the enraged expression on his Pokemon's face. "Did you tell her what you were looking at in the Pokemon Center?!"

A groan was the rookie trainer's initial response, but when he had sand slapped onto his face, he sat upright and glared daggers at Slowpoke. The Water-type flashed an innocent smile despite knowing Thomas was aware it was her. Treecko and Fletchling stared at the two, rapidly shifting their focus from one to the other until settling their sights on the human.

He reached into the pocket of his jacket, which he draped over the top of his chair, and pulled out a Poke Ball with the water insignia.

Slowpoke's face dropped in an instant and she started to bow over and over again, iterating, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

 _Why does it always have to come to this with them?_ Thomas thought to himself with a mental sigh after glancing at Slowpoke, Treecko, and Fletchling. _Check that._ _Treecko never causes trouble for me when we're in public._

Ending his mental conversation, Thomas opened his eyes to see each of the three Pokemon leaning forward with their eyes opened as wide as they could be. As soon as the Poke Ball was put away, both females breathed a sigh of relief - Slowpoke because she wasn't losing her outdoors privilege, and Treecko because a confrontation had been avoided.

"You should really go back to enjoying your day off."

The trio of creatures stared at Thomas once again as he slowly scooted down to the end of his chair.

"Because it's the last one you're getting for at least a month."

With Slowpoke letting out a deafening scream and Treecko continuing to beam, Thomas face-palmed. He soon joined Slowpoke in screaming, however, when Fletchling suddenly shot into the air, creating a gust that knocked everyone on their backs.

"Hell yeah! Dat's what I'm talkin' bout!" he hollered for everyone at the beach to hear. "Boss is finally puttin' his foot down!"

The moment his feet hit the sand, Fletchling found himself at the mercy of Slowpoke's scolding, as well as a death stare from Thomas. Sitting off to the side of the ruckus, Treecko giggled quietly before making her way down the beach. She ambled by the waves that rolled in with one eye on her friends' location, at least until she heard someone running and panting.

Taking her eye off Thomas and her teammates, the Hoennian starter spotted the culprit, a young woman with turquoise hair. She had a blue, two-piece bikini on, showcasing her flawless, cream-colored skin. Soon enough, Treecko found she wasn't the only one staring at the beautiful girl, who drew both creepy and dirty looks from teenage boys to elderly men.

After shivering at the sight of the men drooling, Treecko turned her attention away from the girl and towards Thomas. Of course he was asleep while Slowpoke and Fletchling beat the crap out of each other, causing the Grass-type to sweat-drop.

"Look out!"

 _SMACK!_

 **000**

Ashley waited by Nurse Joy's desk in the Pokemon Center. She tapped her fingers frantically while scanning the room, only to return her gaze to the empty chair a few feet away. Rufflet, who was perched on the desk, eyed Ashley and cocked his head. Even though he had only traveled with the blackette a short while, he had never seen her acting in such a way.

Ever since Torchic's battle with Infernape, which ended with him being hospitalized, Ashley had acted... differently. Her hatred of speaking remained, but something about her was just off. At least, that's what Rufflet had noticed. And who was to say he was right, given his lack of knowledge about his trainer?

"Miss Baker?" a soothing voice called, causing Ashley's neck to snap towards it. The first thing she spotted wasn't Nurse Joy's pink hair - no matter how many times anyone visited the Pokemon Center, the woman's odd hair color was always a sight to see - rather, it was an orange-haired chick she was holding.

"Ashley!" Torchic cried, forcing his way out of Nurse Joy's arms.

"Torchic!" the young woman yelled.

The Fire-type leaped on to the top of the desk and then into his trainer's outstretched arms. Laughter ensued as they embraced, but it was short-lived, as a wave of heat rushed through Ashley's face. She immediately placed Torchic by her feet, prompting Rufflet to descend and greet his teammate.

"Rufflet!" the chick shrieked, jumping up and down as usual.

The Flying-type smiled and sweat-dropped at Torchic's quirk, opting to keep his mouth shut since they hadn't spoken for a few days. During the conversation between both of her Pokemon, Ashley headed for the exit, prompting the birds to follow.

"Hey, are we gonna get to battle some people today?" Torchic quizzed as the automatic doors slid open.

Rufflet and Ashley stopped dead in their tracks, turned to the Hoennian starter, and gave him a pair of deadpan expressions. They maintained their blank looks for a minute or so until Torchic blinked and broke the silence.

"So is that a yes?"

Ashley threw her hands up to her face and groaned loudly while Rufflet shook his head and took flight.

"Come on! I've been in that dang building for three days, so why can't I at least have one battle?" Torchic watched the girl in front of him uncover her face, and as he waited for a response, she hung her head. "I promise I won't get hurt like last time. You can even pick who I face!"

"I don't know any trainers on the island, so no."

"Well, that's not entirely true," Rufflet chimed in as he descended slowly, making sure he stayed out of Ashley's reach but close enough for both her and Torchic to hear. "Remember that guy with the Treecko? You two could always battle them."

A sudden fire burned in Ashley's eyes, but she kept herself composed and turned to face her starter. Torchic stared right back at her, and they looked at each other for a moment until Ashley made her decision.

"Fine. Let's find that guy and beat him down."

 **000**

 _SMACK!_

Thomas' ears perked up at the sound of a collision in the distance just like Slowpoke's and Fletchling's, and the three looked around for the result. Suddenly, Slowpoke gasped and took off towards the water, prompting her trainer and teammate to follow. Halfway there, Thomas spotted Treecko laying on the sand with her eyes closed and a stupid grin.

Clenching his fists as tight as he could, the Alolan turned and prepared to scream at whoever injured Treecko. When his eyes fell on the culprit, Thomas' anger vanished into thin air and his heart skipped a beat. A turquoise-haired beauty leaned over Treecko and called the creature's name over and over again.

Fletchling and Slowpoke waited for their trainer's explosion, but it never came. In fact, the complete opposite happened. Sweat began to run down Thomas' head and his mouth was dryer than a desert. To his Pokemon, Thomas seemed much more tense than usual.

"Oh why does this have to happen of all times?" the bluenette cried, rocking back so that she was sitting on the sand. Running her hands through her hair, she added, "I can't leave this Pokemon here, but I need to find Ali!"

"Ali?" Fletchling muttered to himself as he picked his brain. When the identity of the Pokemon didn't come to him, he shook his head and looked at the unfamiliar girl. "What da fu-"

Before he could cuss, the robin was smacked upside the head by Slowpoke's tail, gifting Thomas the opportunity to speak on behalf of his loudmouthed Pokemon.

"E-excuse me?" he stuttered, drawing the young woman's attention. A pair of piercing turquoise eyes locked onto him, sending chills down the seventeen-year-old's spine. The girl held her stare and didn't move a muscle, all of her focus being directed at Thomas.

A sheepish smile graced her face, yet the stranger didn't rise to her feet. "If I'm bothering you, sorry about that. I just ran into this Treecko and I guess I..."

"Knocked 'er out cold!"

"Shut up, you bumbling idiot!"

The bluenette's gaze fell on Fletchling and Slowpoke, who continued to trade insults one after another. Thomas sweat-dropped and rubbed the back of his head once the young woman returned to looking at him.

"Are you... o-okay?" Thomas asked, his face growing hotter with each word that left his lips. He received a single nod from the stranger, and when she attempted to get up on her own, he offered a hand.

The girl flinched at the gesture and blinked several times. Ultimately, she accepted the assistance and found herself standing upright in a flash. Once she was on her feet, she wiped the sand off the backs off her legs.

"Thanks."

Thomas turned away from the young woman and nodded, shifting his focus to Treecko. A gasp escaped the bluenette's mouth, startling Thomas to the point where he jumped.

"Sorry!" the attractive girl, who looked no older than eighteen, shrieked. "I have to take that Treecko to the Pokemon Cen-"

Not only did the sight of a Potion in Thomas' hand quiet the girl down, it also eased her nerves, resulting in a sigh of relief. She then lifted her hand from her heart and squatted near the Alolan with a smile.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Fletchling laughed at the question, drawing a glare from Slowpoke while the bluenette turned to face him. Between her mouth quivering and tears forming in the girl's eyes, Fletchling found himself at a loss for words. But then a brilliant idea popped in his head.

"Ay, Boss! Do ya know how I can make dis broad stop cryin'?"

 _WHACK!_

"Shit! That hurt, you pink tub o' lard!"

Slowpoke delivered another vicious blow with her tail, knocking Fletchling's head straight into the sand. The Psychic-type proceeded to walk by him and sat down next to the emotional girl.

"Sorry about him, he's an idiot." The bluenette sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes as Thomas continued to spray Treecko with the Potion. "Treecko will be fine. She's tough, way tougher than me or Fletchling could ever be."

Thomas felt the urge to call Slowpoke out on her lie, but just one look at the girl next to his Pokemon kept him from doing so. Instead, he played along and nodded emphatically, much more emphatically than he wanted to. The violent swing of momentum nearly made him fall over, eliciting laughter from the bluenette.

"Hahaha. So you're this Treecko's trainer?" she asked Thomas, whose face was as red as the flame on a Charizard's tail. Because of his inability to form words, all Thomas could do was nod repeatedly. Slowpoke rolled her eyes at the teen's awkwardness but attempted to keep him from looking like even more of a fool.

"We're all his Pokemon," the Kantonian creature added as she extended her tail. "That's Thomas, and I'm Slowpoke. Who are you?"

Tucking both long strands of hair behind her ears, the bluenette smiled and took Slowpoke's tail, saying, "My name is Lisia. It's nice to meet you."

Fletchling squawked as he yanked his head out of the dirt and fell on his back, generating another series of giggles from Lisia. The Flying-type hurried over to her side and extended a wing as he flashed a toothy grin.

"Da name's Fletchling."

Lisia reintroduced herself and stared at Fletchling, who cocked his head in confusion. The bluenette's stare grew more intense with every passing second until she lowered her head and apologized. "Sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out."

"Too late," was the robin's reply, which resulted in Thomas smacking his Pokemon upside the head.

Silence fell over the group as Lisia continued to look at the sand, refusing to say so much as another word. Slowpoke glanced at her trainer and motioned for him to break the ice with a question, but Thomas responded with a blank stare.

After sighing, the Kantonian Pokemon turned to face Lisia, asking, "Did Fletchling do something to bother you? Because I'll knock some sense into him if he did."

Lisia shook her head and gazed at Thomas, Slowpoke, and Fletchling. When she began to whisper something to herself, the bluenette stood up and stated, "I don't know where Ali went. Have any of you seen her?"

Thomas, having emptied the Potion, scratched his head and attempted to remember if he had seen Ali. The Alolan deadpanned a second later, thinking, _How the hell are we supposed to know what Pokemon Ali is?_

"She's a Swablu," Lisia added as if she read Thomas' mind. "Please tell me at least one of you has seen her!"

The trainer and both of his conscious Pokemon shook their heads with accompanying frowns as people walked by them to go into the water. Each time people passed, they'd lock eyes with Thomas and mutter something as they shook their heads. Clearly, people had an idea of Ali's whereabouts.

 _We have to lend Lisia a hand, especially if no one else is going to do it,_ Thomas thought as he rose from his seat in the sand.

While the Alolan did so, Treecko regained consciousness and opened her eyes. She scanned her immediate surroundings quietly until she saw Thomas, who gave a quick smile. "Fletchling and Slowpoke," he began, "I want you both to go ask that group of people if they've seen Ali anywhere."

The two Pokemon nodded and then glared at one another, causing Lisia to laugh sheepishly as she back-pedaled her way over to Thomas' side. The young man's facial expression hardened at the sight of his Pokemon exchanging headbutts, which attracted quite a bit of attention from anyone nearby.

"I'll let you guys battle," Thomas said, grabbing the attention of both Fletchling and Slowpoke. "But that's only if you can get something out of them."

Lisia turned to the Alolan with her hands on her hips and asked, "How are they supposed to do that?"

"By any means necessary."

Fletchling's eyes lit up like stars in the night sky, but Slowpoke tempered his excitement when she stepped forward and asked, "What exactly do _you_ mean by-"

"I said _any_ means necessary," Thomas replied, cutting his Pokemon's question short. "Now go before I regret this." The seventeen-year-old turned his back to the Pokemon and ran a hand through his hair, listening to the sounds of Slowpoke's feet sinking into the sand and Fletchling's wings flapping wildly.

Once Thomas heard the splash from Slowpoke's dive into the water, he sighed and shifted his attention to Treecko. Right when he was about to speak to Treecko, the Alolan felt Lisia tap him on the shoulder, so he turned to face the pretty girl.

Her cheeks gained a red shade upon locking eyes with Thomas.

"You... really don't have to help me."

The young man raised an eyebrow at the comment from Lisia, but he kept his mouth shut and turned away from her. Thomas looked out into the ocean where he saw Fletchling stabbing a man in the head with his beak while Slowpoke slapped him with her tail. The Alolan's skin turned as a ghost while Lisia gasped and covered her mouth. Both trainers turned so their backs faced the water, and they stood in silence.

Before they knew it, Treecko, Lisia, and Thomas heard footsteps that grew louder and louder. It was Fletchling and Slowpoke, who were walking and laughing together. The two were far too caught up in conversing to notice their trainer's jaw drop at the same time as Treecko's, which drew Lisia's gaze.

"But your idea of going for his eyes was perfect! That's what made him talk!" Slowpoke exclaimed, foaming at the mouth. Treecko shivered at the sight, but Fletchling puffed his chest out and laughed heartily.

"Thanks. But if ya hadn't trapped his friends in a whirlpool, there ain't no way I could'a said dat!"

With that, Fletchling and Slowpoke high-fived, once again unaware of Thomas' reaction: falling on his back without bracing for impact. A loud thud followed his collision with the sand, ending his Pokemon's conversation and starting a new one. While Treecko and Lisia helped Thomas up, Fletchling waved for the brunette, speaking once the pair of emerald eyes fell on him.

"Dat guy said some thugs come around and try ta take peoples' Pokemon, so dat's probably what happened to Allen."

"Her name's Ali," Lisia muttered, causing Fletchling to rub the back of his head and force a laugh.

"Anyways, the guy told us where those thugs hang out, so let's hurry over there!" Slowpoke shouted.

Everyone nodded and took off, kicking tons of sand onto anyone unfortunate enough to be near by. Fletchling led the group down the coast until they spotted their destination, and they set up camp behind a large rock. The robin then landed on Thomas' shoulder, ignoring his trainer's glare like he always did, and said, "All'a dem should be in dat cave."

Lisia poked her head out from behind the boulder so she could get a better look at the cave's exterior. Thomas and Treecko focused intently on the bluenette's facial expression, which hardened, as she inhaled deeply. "I'm going in there!" she proclaimed before attempting to take off.

Much to her surprise, Lisia was pulled behind the boulder by her wrist before she could take a step. Lisia tried to break free from Thomas' grasp, but it only grew stronger with each attempt she made.

"Let go of me! I need to save Ali!" the young woman screamed inches from Thomas' face. Even though Lisia had - unintentionally - spit on him and his Pokemon were waiting for an equally emotional outburst, Thomas maintained a calm expression.

He sighed a second later, released his grip on Lisia's wrist, and declared, " _We_ are getting Ali."

Treecko, Slowpoke, and Fletchling exchanged glances, their eyes wide open. _They_ were going to storm a gang's hideout and take back some Pokemon that belonged to a girl they had just met?

"You can wait here or at the Pokemon Center," Thomas added, having already walked by the attractive girl. "Let's go, guys."

Lisia gaped as there wasn't any hesitation from Thomas' team despite the fear in their eyes. Once the Pokemon caught up to their trainer, they looked at him for a moment until he muttered something. It was too low for Lisia to hear, but she didn't seem to mind being out of the loop. In fact, a smile formed on the bluenette's face.

"Stop right there!"

Flinching at the command that had come from thin air, Lisia grabbed a Poke Ball in her beach bag and scanned the area. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps in sand entered her ears, prompting the bluenette to come out of hiding. When Lisia spotted the Alolan she noticed he and his Pokemon stopped walking, so she bounded towards them. After reaching Thomas' side, Lisia saw a black-haired girl standing with a Torchic and Rufflet.

Thomas examined the girl's attire, features, and Pokemon before stroking his chin. He could've sworn he'd seen her before, but nothing came to mind. Or so was the case until the seventeen-year-old's gaze was drawn to a pair of ruby-colored eyes that sent chills down his spine.

Like Thomas, Lisia flinched as a memory of the girl played in her mind.

"You're the girl that released her Taillow after it lost a battle!" The bluenette pointed her index finger in disgust, but Ashley remained unfazed by it despite Slowpoke, Treecko, and Fletchling mirroring Lisia's hostility.

Ashley then focused on Thomas and said, "I came here for a battle."

Torchic let out an amped up scream as he hopped on one leg and then the other, drawing deadpan reactions from not only his trainer and teammate, but also Thomas, his Pokemon, and Lisia. True to form, Torchic continued his hopping and the awkwardness of the situation flew right over his head.

"No thanks. We're in the middle of something important." Thomas resumed his walk towards the entrance of the cave as if Ashley had never appeared, and Lisia was quick to give chase once she saw Ashley's scowl.

"Well guess what?!" the aforementioned girl shouted after cupping her hands around her mouth. Thomas looked over his shoulder but continued to walk, further angering Ashley. "I'm coming with you two, and when you're done with this errand, we're battling!"

Torchic cheered in support of his trainer's declaration while Rufflet analyzed the young woman's body language and tone. It certainly didn't seem like she was challenging this guy because Torchic wanted to battle. No, _she_ wanted to battle _him_. The eaglet kept that thought in mind as he flew towards the cave entrance where the two strangers and Pokemon were waiting.

The moment Ashley reached them, both Thomas and Lisia headed inside without a word. Torchic rushed ahead without even looking his trainer's way while Rufflet stayed back with Ashley, who was steaming. Her rage continued to build as Torchic caught up to the others and introduced himself.

 _Great. He's going to be all cheery and smiling and he'll get along with them. And then when it's all said and done, he's gonna ask to hang out with them!_

"Hi! I'm Torchic!"

Ashley rolled her eyes but quickly went back to looking at the cave's walls, which consisted of white rocks with black dots. The ruby-eyed trainer continued to walk as she took in the incredible sight, though that changed when she ran into something.

Upon looking straight ahead, Ashley found Thomas glaring at her while his Pokemon and Lisia trudged on ahead, unaware of the intense staring contest. Both trainers narrowed their eyes, maintaining their ground despite Rufflet flying by with a quick glance.

"What are you looking at, tough guy?"

Thomas let the question bounce off the cave's walls as his glare remained constant. Ashley's did too, though she shook her head when his response was walking away. The black-haired girl muttered and then sighed, rubbing her head as she did so.

"So what's your name?" Torchic asked loudly, further aggravating Ashley. Once she picked her head up, the young woman saw Thomas glance down for a brief moment. His silence reverberated around the room, putting everyone's attention on the Alolan.

He answered simply, saying, "Thomas," at a tone that was almost inaudible. Torchic beamed at the young man and turned to the bluenette on his right side.

"And what's yours? I remember our battle in Rustboro City - it was so awesome, by the way - but I can't remember your name!"

"I'm Lisia," she said with a giggle. "And thanks! I never got the chance to tell you about how well you did afterwards, but at least now's better than never."

Torchic gave an emphatic nod of approval before looking over at Treecko, Slowpoke, and Fletchling. The three kept close to one another since Thomas was further behind and they were much more familiar with Lisia - relative to Ashley. Even so, they kept a sizable distance between themselves and the bluenette.

Chills ran down Treecko's spine all of a sudden, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Both of her teammates shared the feeling, so they mimicked Treecko. Each of the three sets of eyes fell on Torchic, who had been staring for quite a while. Fletchling stepped forward with his wings stretched out in front of Slowpoke and Treecko.

The robin raised his head and squawked at Torchic. In response, Hoennian Pokemon blinked once and tilted his head, dumbfounded. Suddenly, Treecko's and Slowpoke's eyes shot wide open when Fletchling zipped towards Torchic with a white streak of light trailing his body. The robin braced for impact, but his momentum stopped cold when something grabbed ahold of him. Fletchling was slammed into the ground a tenth of a second later, the impact of which caused all three trainers to hurry over.

Rufflet stood in front of Torchic before looking up from Fletchling and at Slowpoke, who had hopped in front of the Flying-type while Treecko knelt by his side.

Thomas and Ashley jumped in-between both parties and immediately shut down a potential brawl. Despite that, there was ever-growing tension between the Pokemon. At least there was until everyone heard a foreign voice.

"What was that sound just now?"

"No clue."

"Oh don't tell me the stupid Swablu made it! I swear I'll ring that bird's neck if it did!"

"You're scaring the poor thing, so relax. We can bring her with us while we check out what the sound was, okay?"

Thomas watched Lisia recoil, and before he knew it, she broke into a sprint. The Alolan attempted to call out for the girl, but he stepped back for a moment and inhaled. Thomas knew he had to weigh his options, and that's just what he did. Calling out to Lisia would alert the thugs of their presence, but doing nothing would set the bluenette up for failure.

Before he could so much as think about his response to the situation, Thomas watched everyone - Ashley included - pursue Lisia, prompting him to do the same. Fletchling and Rufflet led the pack through the air while Slowpoke, Torchic, and Treecko stayed in-between them and their trainers, masking any weaknesses in their formation.

Within moments, the group turned a corner and found Lisia squared off with two people dressed in jumpsuits. The one on the left was a giant of a man who had tattoos of tears running down his eyes which, coupled with the ripped sleeves of his silver jumpsuit, left the group cowering in fear. Standing next to him was a woman maybe a fraction of his size with a design tattooed along her lips that made them look as if they had been sewed shut. Both adults wore a glove that was the same color as their suits with an odd stone implanted in the middle, capturing everyone's attention.

Slowly looking away from the thugs, Thomas spotted a bird cage at their feet containing a Swablu.

 _So that must be Ali,_ he reflected as Treecko and Slowpoke stood by his side. _Even though we have the numbers we need to be careful. These guys don't seem like they're lightweights._

A wicked smirk formed on the tiny woman's face, sending chills down Thomas' spine. She then reached for a Poke Ball and began tossing it to herself without even tracking the device with her eye. Her male counterpart glanced over and silently reached for the cage Ali was in.

Lisia stepped forward, Poke Ball in-hand, and shouted, "Let go of her now, or else we'll attack!"

The man looked back and forth between Ali and Lisia for about ten seconds before shaking his head defiantly. "I'd love to avoid confrontation with everyone walking away a winner, but that isn't plausible. I'm afraid I can not release this Swablu."

"Don't think I'd let that happen, you idiot," the woman hissed as she punched her partner's shredded arm. "Now why don't we rewind for a second, shall we? I believe I heard someone threaten us with an attack if we failed to comply, right?"

The woman raised an arm and smacked one of her two pigtails with one finger while licking her lips slowly. The lack of a response from Lisia caused the woman to cackle, but the man by her side kept his mouth shut, opting to let his partner handle the talking.

"I've been itching for a battle, so go ahead and make a move!" She leaned back and cackled shortly thereafter, keeping the trainers frozen.

It seemed as if the maniacal laughter would never end, but the sound of boots hitting the ground ended it in a flash. Everyone found themselves staring as Ashley sauntered by Lisia and Thomas all by herself - Torchic and Rufflet stayed back with Thomas and his Pokemon.

"It's funny how the weakest ones talk the loudest, don't you think?" The blackette folded her arms and smirked when Torchic and Rufflet hurried to her sides and nodded. "Let's see just how strong this freak really is. And when I'm done with you," she said, pointing at the tattooed woman, "your buddy's next."

Thomas and Lisia gaped as they turned to one another and stared blankly. They quickly went back to watching Ashley crack her knuckles, but something else caught Thomas' attention: the man holding Ali's cage had started shaking the moment Ashley opened her mouth. He wasn't alone, however, as his female counterpart was trembling too, though Thomas kept his guard up despite the thugs' appearances.

 _They can't really be scared of her, can they? Unless their Pokemon are weaker than ours - that's highly unlikely, now that I think about it - but if that were the case, why would they try taking Ali?_

"Now!" the man roared.

A slender figure dropped from the ceiling and landed in-between Thomas, Lisia, and Ashley, each of whom turned and gasped while the gigantic man handed Ali's cage to his partner.

"I'll catch up with you in a moment. Get going," he ordered with a tone so sharp it cut the air in the cave. The woman's face shrunk as she nodded, and she took off once she grabbed the cage. Lisia attempted to run after her, but after taking just one step, the creature that had dropped from the ceiling knocked her back with its tail.

Both Ashley and Thomas took out their Pokedex to scan the unfamiliar creature. It was covered with yellow and auburn scales and had a pair of club-like arms. Its tail was extremely long and, like its body, had scales all over.

"Kommo-o, the Scaly Pokemon, and the final form of Jangmo-o. When it spots enemies, it threatens them by jingling the scales on its tail. Weak opponents will crack and flee in panic."

Slowpoke ran towards the young woman tumbling along the ground and dove, halting the bluenette's momentum in the nick of time. "Are you okay?" the Water-type asked as she and Lisia lifted their heads from the ground.

Lisia nodded with a smile and stated, "I owe you one. Thanks." Then, rising to her feet, she turned to Ashley and Thomas, both of whom had their eyes locked on the odd creature and its titan of a trainer. Rufflet and Treecko made their way over to the beautiful girl's side after seeing her rise, generating an order from Thomas.

"What are you waiting for? Go get Ali back!" the Alolan barked, throwing his right arm forwards. "Treecko and Slowpoke, stay by her side at all times and protect her!"

While the aforementioned Pokemon grunted in response, Lisia's eyes widened a bit and her hand fell over her chest. Her heart was beating faster, but why? It must have been the adrenaline, because she took off at the speed of light during Ashley's command for Rufflet.

Lisia and her bodyguards took off after the thug that had Ali, but Kommo-o and his trainer reacted in a flash, cutting the bluenette off.

"Torchic, use Sand Attack on both of them!"

"Help 'em out by whipping up some sand too, Fletchling!"

The tattooed man's eyes shot wide open when Torchic hopped in front of Lisia and kicked sand in Kommo-o's eyes. Fletchling joined the Fire-type in blinding his opponent, thus providing the others with an opportunity to get by. They took it in a heartbeat and didn't look back, leaving Thomas and Ashley to battle the man and his mighty Pokemon.

"You two just made the biggest mistakes of your lives," the hulking man proclaimed. "Kommo-o, use Headbutt!"

"Fletchling, counter with Quick Attack and Steel Wing!"

Both Kommo-o and Fletchling obeyed without hesitation, closing in on each other at a blistering pace. While the former lowered his head, Fletchling squawked as his wings turned silver and a streak of white light trailed his body. The two clashed for no more than a nanosecond, with Kommo-o overpowering his tiny opponent and delivering a wicked blow. Fletchling flipped through the air and then hit the ground. Thomas hurried over to his Pokemon's side, prompting Ashley and Torchic to take the lead.

"Use Ember on the parts of Kommo-o's legs that don't have scales!" the blackette hollered.

Torchic jumped and spun like a top before shooting flurries of fire bullets from his beak. The scorching attack hit its puny target, causing the opposing trainer to raise an eyebrow, but that was the extent of his reaction. Even though Kommo-o grunted and took the attack head on, his trainer kept as still - and silent - as a statue, at least until the attack ceased.

"Deliver a Sky Uppercut!" he screamed right afterwards.

Kommo-o dashed across the room and, as his fist began to surge with light blue energy, lowered himself to the ground. The Dragon-type then threw his hips open and swung upwards, sending Torchic straight into the ceiling so forcefully he nearly broke through. Once the Hoennian starter made contact with the ground, a loud crack bounced off the cave's walls and into Ashley's and Thomas' ears.

Both of the rookie trainers stared at their Pokemon in disbelief. Neither Fletchling nor Torchic were conscious, and their teammates were with Lisia, leaving both trainers defenseless. For as short at the battle was - it only took Kommo-o and his trainer two moves to win - it felt like an eternity before the man spoke once again. And when he did, all of the air in the room was sucked out.

"Use Clanging Scales and kill them all."

The two trainers looked up from their fainted Pokemon and at Kommo-o, who had begun to shake so that his scales clanged against one another. Deafening clanks swallowed the room whole, generating pained screams from both Ashley and Thomas. Then, everything went silent, and Kommo-o pointed his arms at the two trainers and their Pokemon.

"Fire."

Just like that, Ashley watched a ring of purple light surge across the room, closing in on her and Torchic at mach speed. The light from the attack grew so bright Ashley had to cover her eyes. When she did, the seventeen-year-old saw a glimpse of something diving in front of her, and an explosion followed.

Upon opening her ruby eyes, the young woman spotted Thomas stretched out in front of her, Fletchling, and Torchic, but based off the condition of his clothes, it didn't seem as if he had been struck by the attack. As Ashley's eyes remained locked onto the Alolan, she watched him turn around meet her gaze, though the moment was cut short.

"Fancy seeing you here in Dewford, Thomas."

The aforementioned trainer watched Ashley's eyes widen, prompting him to turn and eventually do the same. Standing before Thomas were none other than Louise and Gengar, though neither trainer nor Pokemon turned to greet him. Then again, it was understandable considering the situation they were in.

"I take it you beat Roxanne," Louise continued as if the bulky man and his Kommo-o weren't around. "Congratulations."

Thomas blinked several times as he racked his brain for a response. Nothing came to mind, however, as he was too fixated on what was playing out before him.

Ashley, on the other hand, shot up from the ground and pointed at her purple-hair elder, shouting, "Just who the hell are you?! And how do you two know each other?!"

Louise slowly turned her neck away from her enemies so that she could give Ashley the ultimate death stare, which silenced her immediately. Once she returned her gaze to the tattooed man, Louise pounded her chest while clearing her throat, saying, "I'm Louise Strause, and I guess you could say I've seen Thomas in a similar situation before."

The Alolan sweat-dropped in response as memories of his encounter with Fletchling's family came one after another, unaware of Ashley's disgusted expression.

"Why are you here?" Thomas quizzed, leaning forward while snapping out of his embarrassment. Louise didn't say a word, nor did Gengar. Their focus had shifted to the enemy after that question, leaving Thomas and Ashley to their thoughts as they sat off to the side.

"You should offer much more of a challenge than those two did." Both rookies stared daggers at the jumpsuit-wearing man, but Louise's expression didn't change. "After all, it takes quite a powerful Pokemon to destroy Kommo-o's Clanging Scales attack."

Kommo-o roared upon hearing his name, yet Gengar, just like her trainer, remained unfazed. Thomas made note of the similarities between the two, only to snap out of his thoughts when Kommo-o charged.

"Let's see if you can handle this! Kommo-o, Outrage!"

Kommo-o lowered his head and took off sprinting. Orange particles swirled around the Alolan Pokemon's body before engulfing him, leaving Thomas slack-jawed in utter disbelief while Ashley scowled and turned away from the battle.

"Gengar," Louise called quietly, eliciting a grunt and nod from her Pokemon.

In the blink of an eye a forcefield appeared around Gengar, preventing Kommo-o's ferocious attack from dealing even the slightest bit of damage. The Fighting-type slammed his head against the barrier once more, but he was launched backwards by his own strength.

Louise immediately threw her hands forward, switching from defense to offense at the drop of a hat. "Now use Hex!"

Gengar slammed her hands together and let out a cry as she fired a wave of purple energy towards Kommo-o. As soon as the powerful creature was on his feet, Gengar's counterattack struck him. Kommo-o cried bloody murder before hitting the ground face first with both eyes shut, leaving his trainer in shock. Things only became worse for the man, however, when a loud rumbling sound echoed in the cave. After everything calmed down, Lisia reappeared alongside Rufflet, Treecko, Slowpoke, and a massive, golem-like creature, which Thomas scanned with his Pokedex.

"Golurk, the Automaton Pokemon, and the evolved form of Golett. It is said that Golurk were ordered to protect people and Pokémon by the ancient people who made them."

"The mission was a success, ma'am," Golurk informed his trainer with a bow.

Louise gave her friend a thumbs up and smile. "Great job as always, buddy," she replied, elating the massive creature standing before her.

"But I didn't capture the source of the commotion. I failed," the Ghost-type muttered, its eyes dimming dramatically while it slouched over and sighed. "Please forgive me."

"Would you cut that out already, Golurk? You and I both know Louise isn't going to punish you or anything, so just stop apologizing all the time," Gengar ordered.

Golurk bowed and muttered, "My apologies."

Gengar rolled her eyes at the massive creature, but she set her sights back on Kommo-o and his trainer. Much to her horror, they were gone without so much as a trace, though that didn't seem to ruin Louise's good mood.

"Well, at least everyone's safe. That's the most important thing," the purple-haired trainer opined. "Thanks for being so helpful, Golurk."

"It was my pleasure."

With that, the massive Pokemon disappeared inside his Poke Ball, causing everyone to stare at Louise. She sweat-dropped as she glanced around, meeting each intense look for less than a second. Thomas proceeded to clear his throat as he prepared to ask the question that had been ignored.

"So, what are you doing he-"

"Thomas!"

Treecko's cry diverted Thomas' attention from asking Louise the question he so badly wanted answered, as he squatted to embrace his starter and Slowpoke. After pulling away from the pair of Pokemon, Thomas let out a sigh of relief and sat down.

"We found Ali!" Treecko exclaimed, throwing her arms up for emphasis.

"Really?" the young man inquired.

Lisia nodded and held up a Poke Ball, beaming as she did so. "It's all thanks to you, too, Thomas. Had you and your Pokemon not offered to help me, I... I don't even want to think about what would've happened to Ali!"

Thomas simply nodded and forced himself back onto his feet with a grunt. Shortly thereafter, Lisia and Louise began walking out of the cave along with Thomas, leaving Ashley scowling by her lonesome.

 _I can't be weak like those two; I have to be stronger than everyone! And I'll do it on my own._

* * *

 **Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Between school destroying me and entertaining the idea of changing this story so that it took place in Alola, I'm finally back. Don't worry, I won't change the region (or, in other words, delete this story) since I've done so much new planning that I'm excited about. I hope you'll love it when those future chapters are posted. Anyways...  
Thomas met Lisia and helped get her Swablu, Ali, back from some thugs. Ashley also helped out, but that was after Thomas declined her battle.  
Next chapter will (kind of) pick up where this left off, with the focus of it being on Lisia and Tom. Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. Thoughts on Lisia?  
2\. Thoughts on Tom and Ashley's first bits of interaction?  
3\. When do you think Thomas and Ashley will battle? When do you want them to?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Hurricane Season"**_

 _ **Lisia returns to the Pokemon Center in search of Thomas, and when she finds him, she offers to take him out as a token of thanks for finding Ali. What exactly lies in store for the two?**_

* * *

 **Beginning Arc: Dewford Town**

 **Chapter 13: Tough Tides of Teamwork  
** **Chapter 14: Search the Sand and Sea!  
** **Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!  
** **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl**


	12. Hurricane Season

**Heyo! Winter break has finally arrived - and so has freedom - which means more writing time. Last chapter, Thomas met Lisia (and Ashley, kind of) and helped look for her Swablu, Ali. Things got sticky, however, when one of the thugs responsible for taking Ali used his Kommo-o to defeat Treecko and Torchic. But Louise and Gengar (and Louise's Golurk) saved the day at the last second possible, defeating both thugs and rescuing Ali!** **Now let's get going!**

 **Delta Edge:** _Oh yeah, 'twas but a doozy. And isn't it soooo weird how that happens? xD I really, really, really like the idea of Thomas and Ashley having a two-parter that transitions from one arc to another (with evolutions happening). I'm going to be doing that *much* later in the story, so one of us (me) might forget even saying this xD Thanks for the review!_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Ayy! Thanks, that took a lot of work, and I'm glad it was good. Also, Lisia's one of my favorite characters so I'm hoping y'all will like her (Thomas being a typical teenage guy tho). I can't wait for the first battle between Ashley and Thomas either, though it'll be a few arcs before they stop disliking each other. The cave thugs are no bueno, and you're right about them being more than throw-in characters. Who are they? You'll find out very soon :P_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Indeed I am, sir. Oh man, I've used the occasional Fletchling insult and it's so fun xD And good eye. Thomas' and Ashley's styles are intentionally shown as opposites, which I feel adds to their rivalry. Having them battle at the end of this arc is something I considered, but you'll just have to wait and see if it happens_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Thanks! I enjoy the mutual hatred (a bit hyperbolic, but ya get the point) too, and I think the personalities of Torchic and (you'll see it in future interactions between Thomas and Ashley) Treecko are perfect for reactions. I guess you could say Thomas has a crush, or that he just found Lisia attractive. Speaking of which, she really did seem like the opposite of Ashley, though that was purely coincidence. I always make a description of each character before I write stories, so while I did incorporate some things from Lisia's original "bio" (being nice and well-mannered), others just... happened (her clumsiness) xD_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Gracias. Sucks to hear it's harder than expected (my senior year was a joke), but at least you're about halfway done. Even though it was a small part, I also enjoyed Rufflet making note of Ashley's changes. And while she still is a jerk to other people (as you noted), at least she's making progress_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 12, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

Waves rolled and crashed while flocks of Wingull and Pelipper flew back to their nests underneath the starry night sky. The townspeople continued on with their lives like they would any other night: occupying the boardwalk - whether it be for a night out with friends, a date, or a family get-together, it didn't matter.

The same couldn't be said for one girl in particular, one that sat next to a tiny bird and plant bulb. They were the only ones sitting near the ocean, but that didn't bother them in the slightest.

"I still can't believe you were almost kidnapped, Ali," Lisia told her companion as the waves rolled in.

The Swablu stared out at the water while her teammate, an Oddish, recoiled at the announcement.

"What happened?!"

Turning to question the Grass-type's memory, Lisia sweat-dropped almost immediately after making eye-contact with Oddish, who was steaming, and deservedly so. After all, she hadn't been present during the whole situation since Thomas and Ashley had their Pokemon around.

The bluenette proceeded to retell the day's events as best she could, ultimately leaving her Pokemon slack-jawed while Ali just nodded along.

"You should've seen it, Bell! Louise's Golurk managed to get Ali's cage back from one of the thugs before she could even grab a Poke Ball!"

Lisia leaned forward, beaming as she waited for her friend to respond. Bell did just that a moment later, but not in the way her trainer was hoping.

"So you didn't even _think_ to call on me? That's... inspiring."

The Kantonian Pokemon hung her head dejectedly in the corner, causing Lisia to sweat-drop once again. She apologized to Bell repeatedly while Ali drifted off into her thoughts, leaving her begging trainer and sulking teammate behind in a flash.

The moment Ali closed her eyes, darkness consumed her world. Everything around her sank into the vast nothingness of the shadows, at least until her mind began to race. Soon, the Swablu found herself replaying scenes from her rescue. Between being reunited with Lisia and meeting the Pokemon that had accompanied her, there wasn't much left for her to think of.

 _What else happened that I haven't already remembered?_ The Flying-type, hellbent on recounting every single detail, racked her brain for answers until, finally, something stuck.

 _Earlier that morning..._

"Are you sure you don't need anything else? I can go and-"

"Thomas, it's okay. You've done more than enough for me."

As Ali opened her eyes, light pierced through the darkness and granted the tiny bird her sight. There was a fresh coat of paint on the ceiling, and when her eyes moved to the right, Ali noticed a bunch of glass windows. She could see part of a hallway on the other side of the transparent object along with three chairs, but what caught her attention was the trio of Pokemon residing in said chairs.

Suddenly, Ali heard an annoying squeaking sound, so she lifted her head to see what was going on. Lisia was sitting at her bedside while a boy of a similar age rose from his chair, his face twisting with each new squeak. The bird nearly let out a laugh, but Lisia beat her to the punch. What followed was the bluenette's signature giggle, causing Ali to sit upright in the blink of an eye.

Thomas stopped pushing the chair along the spotless floor, his face burning bright red. His embarrassed blush amplified when, from the other corner of the room, someone said, "Sheesh, Boss. Ya really are a babbo at da woist'a times!"

The trainer went quiet, possibly shooting a dirty look at whoever had mocked him.

"You're right! He really is!" another voice exclaimed in-between laughs.

"Sl-slowpoke, stop l-l-laughing. Can't you t-tell he's em-embarr-embarrassed?" Whoever had spoken seemed to be afraid, but of what exactly? Ali couldn't quite place her wing on it, but she sure as hell sensed _something_ was impeding the speaker.

Before she could finish her thought, Ali felt her eyes jump back to Thomas as he got up and stormed out of the room without a word. Exasperated yelling ensued as soon as the door closed, making Lisia jump out of her seat with a girly shriek. Ali laughed at her trainer to herself and shook her head.

 _She's still the same as always..._

"Excu-excus-se me?" Ali's head perked up again as she attempted to identify the speaker. For whatever reason, she found herself unable to turn to her left, forcing Ali to listen as intently as possible.

She did notice Lisia's perkiness return rather quickly, but that was it.

"Hi, Treecko."

The pretty girl waved her arm, prompting Treecko to return the greeting with a bow, though that ended with her hitting the floor face first. Still, she got up before Lisia could even think to help and proceeded to walk across the room. Once she reached the chair by the bluenette's side, Treecko climbed up its leg and sat down with a deep sigh.

Ali watched Lisia direct her attention to the timorous Pokemon with a warm smile, drawing Treecko's gaze. The Hoennian starter's trembling grew exponentially with each second she spent looking at Lisia until, finally, she turned away. For some odd reason a warm smile formed on the bluenette's face while Ali, on the other hand, was left scratching her head and staring at Treecko as if she were a mutant.

"You know, I never apologized for running into you earlier today," Lisia began, causing Treecko to glance over her shoulder. "Sorry. And thank you so much for helping me find Ali, too."

Treecko turned with a slight smile and nodded like a bobblehead, listening to the young woman's laughter which lit up the otherwise dreary room.

"Anyways, enough of me talking. Did you come by to check on Ali?"

Lisia turned so that her shoulders were square to the Grass-type, who twiddled her fingers and kept both eyes glued to the ground.

"K-kind of..." Treecko's voice trailed off quickly and she continued fidgeting. "I came h-h-h-h..." The bipedal Pokemon's stammering continued until she closed her mouth, leaving her down and unable to finish the sentence. Lisia quietly looked over Treecko, who was still fumbling the same word, and silenced her with one simple motion.

After she felt a hand placed on her shoulder, the gecko closed her mouth and locked eyes with Lisia, both of them ignoring the repetitive beeping of Ali's heart monitor.

"So what were you trying to tell me?" Lisia inquired, acting as if Treecko's verbal butchery had never happened. The aforementioned Pokemon played along and attempted to speak, but not before the bluenette stated, "I don't have great hearing, so you're going to have to speak really slowly."

Suppressing a grin, Ali shook her head at her trainer. She always found a way to breakthrough to someone, just as she was doing.

Treecko nodded and then took a deep breath as she stared at the floor and prepared to deliver the message.

"I..."

She paused, lifting her head awkwardly to the sight of Lisia nodding. Treecko exhaled deeply, loosening her muscles despite the natural impulse to tighten them.

"I... wanted... to say... that... Thomas is really... nice. And... sure... he might be awkward... sometimes... but he's a really good guy."

Lisia laughed while the Grass-type stared at her, jaw agape, because of both Treecko's reaction and her odd statement. Once she was ready to continue the conversation, the bluenette looked down and asked, "Where is this coming from?"

Going through the whole process of deep breathing and relaxing her muscles, Treecko took a moment to check on things in the hall by peering through the windows to her back. When she was fully turned, Treecko found herself looking at the three seats in the hallway.

The middle and right chairs were occupied by a young woman - whose hair was dyed purple - and a Gengar, both of whom stared at Thomas as he was being pecked in the head by a Fletchling. A Slowpoke that was sitting by the two spectators jumped into action, firing a Water Gun attack. Much to her dismay, the four-legged creature missed Fletchling and instead hit her trainer in the face, causing Treecko to deadpan. However, she went back to facing Lisia and proceeded to speak.

"When Fletchling... made fun of Thomas... I thought you... were laughing at him."

Lisia tilted her head in confusion for a second before face-palming. While the young woman did that, Ali pondered the statement that had seemingly come out of the blue.

"You just wanted to stick up for him in case I was being mean?" the Swablu heard her trainer quiz.

Treecko nodded, and Lisia smiled.

"I was laughing earlier because I thought him being embarrassed like that was kind of..." The pretty girl's voice disappeared after the penultimate word, leaving Treecko both confused and antsy while she herself was flustered. "Look, Thomas is really nice, and brave, and..."

For a second time, Lisia left Treecko - and Ali - off with a cliffhanger. Her face turned bright red in a fraction of a second and she scanned the room, eyeing anything that wasn't Treecko.

Ali's flashback ended without warning, the darkness returning to her sight in a flash. Once there was nothing to look at, the Flying-type heard a voice calling to her.

"Ali? Hey! Earth to Ali!"

The voice sounded distant but she heard it perfectly, befuddling Ali, who felt her eyes begin to open.

"I think she's coming back to us now. Nice work, Bell!"

Ali shot off the ground as soon as she saw the moon overhead, generating terrified screams from Lisia and Bell before they fell on their backs. Both of them were quick to sit back up and glare at Ali, who could only sweat-drop in response. There really wasn't anything she could say that would've explained her actions, especially considering she had no idea what happened.

"It's about time you're up!" Lisia hollered, throwing her arms around frantically. "Bell and I tried calling your name for... how long was it?"

The bluenette turned to her Oddish and waited for a response.

"Fifteen or twenty minutes." Bell proceeded to sit down in the sand with a sigh before adding, "At least we can go to the boardwalk now."

Lisia nodded once with a smile, but Ali folded her cloud-like wings and grunted. In doing so, the Hoennian Pokemon drew a pair of confused glances from both Bell and Lisia, the latter of whom raised an eyebrow, asking, "What's wrong? You don't want to go?"

Ali shook her head emphatically, causing Lisia to hang her head and sigh. Bell, on the other hand, glared at her teammate, blood boiling, before hearing her say, "We should invite Thomas and his Pokemon. It'd be nice to hang out with some more people, plus they did come by the emergency room to check on me."

Lisia raised an eyebrow once again and asked, "How do you know that? You were dead asleep the whole time!"

A shoulder shrug was all Ali could do to respond, leaving her trainer even more confused. With a sigh, the bluenette nodded and rose to her feet, prompting her Pokemon to do the same.

"Okay, I'll invite them. C'mon, let's check the Pokemon Center."

 **000**

"I'll warn you _one_ more time, Fletchling," Slowpoke began, spitting each word between breaths, "someone might knock your head off if you keep yapping."

"Oh yeah?" the robin retorted, which was met with a nod from Slowpoke. "Who's gonna do dat? It definitely ain't you, cuz ya can't even land a hit on me!"

Slowpoke just about exploded while Fletchling sat on the roof of the Pokemon Center. Thomas and Treecko sat off to the corner of the battlefield and underneath one of the many palm trees, the former no longer paying any attention to his feuding Pokemon.

Things had started off nicely. Treecko, Slowpoke, and Fletchling trained together, leaving their trainer to himself as he devised a strategy for the looming Gym Battle. Everyone was getting along swimmingly, at least until one of Slowpoke's Water Gun attacks missed its target and struck Fletchling. Soon enough, Treecko was overwhelmed by the rabid natures of her teammates, forcing her off the battlefield and over to Thomas.

Now, there was a brawl going on with two spectators refusing to get involved.

"T-thomas?"

Looking up above, the aforementioned teen spotted Treecko sitting in a tree branch, leaning against the trunk as she peered at the ground. Thomas motioned for the Grass-type to continue, so she did.

"W-where did Louise and Gen-gengar go?"

Just as he opened his mouth, Thomas was cut off by Slowpoke's famous proclamation of, "I am going to murder you," which was followed by Fletchling laughing.

"I'm not sure," Thomas said to Treecko. "Thankfully that girl - Ashley, was it? - isn't here. She was the worst." He then put his arms behind his head and leaned against them with a sigh as Treecko nodded to herself. Though she hadn't spent much of any time with the girl when they met, Treecko didn't find Ashley to be the nicest person.

After trading vicious blows - Fletchling's a kick and Slowpoke's a smack with her tail - the two backed away panting. Then their legs gave out and they hit the ground, exchanging grins shortly thereafter. Like all of their previous fights, neither one of them gave an inch, and that was just the way they wanted it. Although both Pokemon would've rather died than admit it, deep down, that refusal to give in was something they admired in each other. It was why the fights they had never ended with serious injuries - ones caused intentionally, at least - or bad blood. They were just over. Thomas knew the routine all too well.

Moments later, Treecko sprayed her winded teammates with Potions just like Thomas had instructed. Once the gecko did her job she hurried towards her trainer and handed him the empty Potions, which he threw onto a mountain of identical bottles inside his backpack.

"All right, you two have had your fun. It's time to go inside." Thomas waited for his Pokemon to get moving, but their pace was dragged down by mindless bantering between Slowpoke and Fletchling.

Just as the trio reached their trainer, the doors to the Pokemon Center slid open and a stampede of footsteps entered their ears. Then they watched someone slam into Thomas and he fell flat on his face, revealing a familiar bluenette who covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped.

"Oh no!" cried the young woman. "This can't be happening again!"

She quickly ran around Thomas and offered a hand, but when he looked up, he immediately dusted himself off and jumped up.

"Lisia! How've you been?"

Slowpoke deadpanned at both the question and Lisia's giggling.

"Well, we were just about to go to the boardwalk when Ali suggested inviting you all," Lisia replied while pointing at the Swablu, who suddenly drew the attention of Slowpoke, Fletchling, and Treecko.

Thomas, on the other hand, flinched.

"And when I went to text you I realized we never, uh..." Lisia paused and her face turned red. "We never traded numbers, so that's why we're here."

Bell and Ali cheered in support of their trainer's explanation, causing Thomas to turn to them. When he did, the sight of Bell left him scratching his head. "You have two Pokemon?" Thomas asked.

Lisia nodded and went on to explain why she hadn't called on Bell for help.

"Anyways, do you want to go to the boardwalk with us?"

Thomas quickly turned to his Pokemon and raised an eyebrow, eliciting a trio of cheers. "I guess it's settled then," he said while looking back at Lisia.

With that, the trainers and their Pokemon headed for the boardwalk.

 **000**

 _BOOM!_

Ashley watched from afar as sand ascended to the heavens and the ground quaked, nearly knocking the ruby-eyed girl off her feet. Two figures stood by the edge of the ocean near Granite Cave, though they slouched immediately after the explosion and panted wildly. Like Ashley, Louise was watching, except she sat in plain sight and was accompanied by four Pokemon.

"What a great battle, guys! If you keep it up, there's a great chance we could win," the powerful trainer stated, generating a pair of nods from the Pokemon that had just sparred.

The two creatures walked over to their four friends and began to chat about their odds of winning and how pumped they were, but when Louise whistled for everyone's attention, her team stopped talking in an instant. Ashley's eyes widened and she leaned forward, peering down from her perch on Granite Cave's exterior while also ignoring Torchic and his constant blabbering.

 _Why can't I make him shut up like that?_ the rookie thought to herself with a sigh, which caused Torchic to tilt his head.

"Are you okay, Ashley? I heard whenever someone sighs, it's because they're in love. Are you in love? Who is it? Do I know him? Is it a him? Am I rude for aski-"

"Torchic," the young woman began, silencing her Pokemon before she hissed, "shut the hell up."

The Fire-type flashed a toothy grin and nodded several times. Soon after, he sat down by Ashley's side and watched Louise and her Pokemon silently.

"Thank you, guys, for putting in so much work today," said Louise. "Because everyone was so awesome, you all have the tomorrow off, so give yourselves a round of applause!"

Upon hearing the announcement, Ashley felt her eyes nearly pop out. A reward for training? Just who the hell was this girl? Meanwhile, each of the six Pokemon clapped, as did Louise, before Golurk stepped forward and bowed. Its five teammates stopped what they were doing and locked their sights on the manmade Ghost-type, who waited for Louise's permission to stand upright. When it came, Golurk looked down at the purple-haired woman and extended a hand.

"Please forgive me for interrupting, but I am unable to comply with this vacation."

Everyone sweat-dropped at the comment, but Gengar was the first to speak up, which thrusted her into the spotlight.

"It's not a vacation, Golurk. We're taking tomorrow off to let our bodies recover." The larger of the two Ghost-types shook its head robotically, prompting a question. "So you're telling us you're not hurting?"

Once again, Golurk shook its head. "My condolences for not clarifying," it said with a bow. "Though today's training has left my body aching, I refuse to allow anyone on this planet to outwork me."

"If that's the case, then you and I can do some special training tomorrow, Golurk. The rest of you can enjoy a day of rest and relaxation," Louise stated before Gengar could even think.

Golurk bowed to Louise, who laughed and withdrew it, as well as the rest of her team aside from Gengar. The Kantonian Pokemon hurried to her trainer's side, shaking her head as they began their trek back to the Pokemon Center.

Ashley's head nearly combusted at the turn of events while Torchic continued to watch Louise and Gengar. However, he turned away from them to see his trainer withdraw Rufflet and head down Granite Cave.

"Are we going to follow them? I'm really tired, but I can still handle it!"

With the scowl on her face becoming more and more pronounced, Ashley stopped dead in her tracks and turned to her starter. She cleared her throat, prepping to deliver the tirade of a lifetime, only to be frozen by Torchic's toothy grin. Ashley glanced down at the beach, but because she wasn't able to spot Louise or Gengar, she shifted her focus back to Torchic.

"No. No we're not," she muttered.

 _Because everyone was so awesome, you all have the tomorrow off..._

Though every fiber of her being vomited at such a notion, Ashley found herself subscribing to it that very instant. Torchic had just been cleared to battle again, and yet there he was earlier that day, fighting a damn Kommo-o without fear. And not only did Rufflet go through a few days of gruesome training when Torchic was out of commission, he helped search for Thomas and protected Lisia from the woman that had stolen Ali.

"We should head back before it gets too dark." Ashley started her way down the rocky surface, leaving Torchic behind as he stared in silence.

"Ashley?" he called, prompting the aforementioned girl to turn to him. "Thanks."

The force with which that one word struck sent Ashley tumbling all the way down to the sand. There wasn't a response, however, as the rookie was too focused on what Torchic had said to care about the pain she was in. A minute later, Torchic reached the ground and smiled at his trainer after he caught up to her.

Silence followed the two even as they approached Dewford's boardwalk, leaving Ashley to her thoughts.

 _Why the hell did Torchic thank me back there? He definitely wanted to follow them - I did, since I got so many ideas for battles just from watching - so he should've been mad._ Ashley glanced at the chick by her side. _Why do I even care? I should be focused on building the perfect team, not dissecting what that moron says!_

The sounds of the boardwalk prevented Ashley from thinking any further, so she reached for Rufflet's Poke Ball and chucked it. After the eaglet materialized from the light, he scanned his surroundings and then locked eyes with his trainer.

"How long did you train yesterday?"

The ruby-eyed girl waited for a response as Rufflet looked up at the sky and crunched the numbers.

"Ten hours of actual training and an hour for warming up," he said.

Ashley nodded and began to walk past Rufflet and Torchic, but as soon as they followed her, she turned on her heels and stuck her hand out like a crossing guard. "You guys can have the night to yourselves... and tomorrow too, I guess."

Torchic and Rufflet turned to look at each other and then at Ashley, who was staring at the ground. Surely she must've misspoken. There was no way she really just said what they thought they heard. After all, this was _Ashley_.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but is this a joke?" Rufflet asked.

Ashley continued to stare at the ground, ignoring not only the question, but everyone that walked by. Even when she was bumped into, the young woman didn't react. While Rufflet reiterated his inquiry, Torchic analyzed Ashley's body language and the way she had spoken. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he jumped back.

"I get it!" he proclaimed, causing Rufflet's neck to whip backwards. "We're supposed to keep our guards up, just like we would in a battle!"

Rufflet glanced back at Ashley, who lifted her head to glare at Torchic.

"No, you idiot," she spat. "I'm going back to the Pokemon Center, so you two can stay here if you want. I don't care what you do, really."

With that, the rookie turned and walked away, leaving her Pokemon frozen by confusion. All they could do was watch Ashley disappear into the crowd of people roaming the boardwalk. But once it seemed like she wasn't coming back, Rufflet turned to his teammate.

"So what do we do?"

 **000**

Thomas and Lisia strolled down the boardwalk, the girl laughing as they trailed their Pokemon. Their wallets had been emptied out by the creatures' desire not just to play every game, but win. Much to his frustration, Thomas was subjected to carrying all of the prizes like a mule, and Lisia made sure to tease him about it.

"It's a good thing I have such a strong man here with me, otherwise I would've had to throw that stuff away," she said to Thomas.

The Alolan rolled his eyes and muttered, "I feel like a Mudbray right now." Lisia gave him a confused look, prompting Thomas to explain. "It's a Pokemon in Alola that's used to carry supplies. We used to own one back when I lived there."

When Thomas turned to the bluenette, he deadpanned. She was too busy tapping away at her Pokedex to notice him staring, thought right when Thomas sighed, Lisia spoke.

"That's a Mudbray, huh?" she asked aloud, drawing Thomas' attention. "Did you have any other Pokemon when you lived in Alola? Wait, actually, what's Alola like? There are so many questions I have, but I don't know which ones to ask first!" Lisia cried as she pulled at her hair.

She stopped doing that after hearing Thomas chuckle, and a smile broke out on her face in no time.

"We had a Primarina when I was younger," the young man said. "Alola has a tropical climate and is made up of four main islands. I lived on Melemele Island, which is where trainers get their starter from Professor Kukui. Plus, all the people there are really friendly."

Both trainers sat down on a bench off to the side of the boardwalk while their Pokemon, on the other hand, swarmed a booth where they could test the strength of their attacks.

"Wow! Primarina is so beautiful!" Lisia exclaimed after looking at pictures of the Water-type. "Was it your parents'?"

After putting down all of the prizes, Thomas nodded with a scowl. Lisia noticed the Alolan had balled his hands into fists, causing his arms to shake. She turned away and an awkward silence lingered, killing the upbeat vibe.

They kept sitting there, listening to the sounds of the waves rolling until Thomas cleared his throat and said, "It was my dad's first Pokemon." He took a deep breath as Lisia turned and looked into his eyes. She noticed how they were filled with pain, so she changed the topic.

"That's cool. My uncle's a Water-type specialist, but I don't think he has any Pokemon from Alola."

Thomas raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh he should. I mean, the native Water-types are really strong, especially Wishiwashi."

"I'll definitely let him know about it," the bluenette replied with a smile. "Maybe I'll go to Alola in the future. I think I'd need a tour guide though."

The two laughed in unison and continued talking about whatever came to mind, getting up every so often to follow their Pokemon to the next booth.

* * *

 **Well that was an abrupt ending, but nothing else came to mind. Anyways, Thomas and Lisia ended up going to the boardwalk together, and Ashley took a page out of Louise's notebook by giving Torchic and Rufflet a day off from training. Next chapter will focus on Thomas and his Pokemon training for their upcoming Gym Battle, which will be much more interesting than it sounds (I hope). Till next time, peace out.  
**

 **Also, thanks to _PhantomGalaxy13_ for beta-ing (that looks gross) this chapter! Make sure you check out his stories _Bizarre Misadventures_ and _Bizarre Misadventures: Ultra Hunters_**

 **1\. Would you like to see more chapters where Thomas and one of his rivals hangout/do something together?  
** **2\. Should Gym Battles always take place in the Gym? (I'm thinking New Mauville could be in play when Tom battles Wattson)**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Tough Tides of Teamwork"**_

 _ **Another fight breaks out between Fletchling and Slowpoke, but a stranger comes to the rescue by signing Thomas and his team up for a group surfing competition, which requires trainers and their Pokemon to work together. However, they quickly find themselves in deep waters when their inability to surf causes even more conflicts. Can the group overcome their frustrations and work together?**_

* * *

 **Beginning Arc:** **Dewford Town**

 **Chapter 14: Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!  
** **Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!  
** **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl**


	13. Tough Tides of Teamwork!

**What's going on, dearest readers? Hopefully y'all are doing well, because why would I want you not to be? That probably wasn't funny to anyone, so I'll get to summarizing. Last chapter, Ali had a flashback of Lisia talking to Thomas** **when she (Ali) was in the emergency room** **, which gave her the idea to invite him and his Pokemon to the boardwalk. Meanwhile, Ashley watched and took notes on Louise and her Pokemon as they trained. Once the training ended, she decided to give Torchic and Rufflet a day off, and that's really it.  
This chapter will focus on Thomas and his Pokemon performing a task that requires everyone to work together, which should be a breeze (it won't be). Now let's get going!**

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _I agree wholeheartedly. Focusing on things outside of battles (e.g. characters) adds another dimension to the story and makes battles more intense. The funny thing about Lisia's chat with Thomas is that it wasn't planned, nor was Ashley being nice. I just turned my brain off and let the characters do the talking. And it's good that you mentioned how Treecko showed how she cared about Thomas, because it's a very important theme that will help her turn into a beast. Lisia's one of my favorite characters too, and thanks! Hearing that the characters are likable is awesome, and I'll continue to make their development a priority. Finally, there's Ashley and her being... nice?! It's odd seeing the small changes in her. Here's to another small change in fifty chapters!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Haha, I suppose I do. Expect a few more updates now that I'm free from school. Action was nonexistent last chapter, but there were a few developments that I think make up for it. But if action's what you're pining for, you should love chapters fifteen and seventeen (and maybe fourteen). I totally forgot about Ash and Brawly's rematch being in that cave, so I'm sold on at least one Gym Battle being at an alternate location. The funny thing about your prediction is that, at one point, you would've been 100% correct. But I hate writing contests, so Lisia being a coordinator was scrapped (but Bell does evolve into Bellossom)_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _I was waiting for s_ _omeone to bring that up. Like Shadow alluded to, Tom has some daddy issues. Bits of his past should surface around Mauville or Fallarbor, with the main thing being his dad and what kind of relationship they had/have. I'm glad you enjoy his and Lisia's crushes, because they are a lot of fun to write about, and so is Ashley's progression. Speaking of Ashley, her past will also be detailed around the same time as Tom's, which I'm looking forward to more than anything_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Treecko, (f), level 12, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

Slowpoke marched through the Pokemon Center lobby by herself, putting her at the center of attention. Nearby trainers watched in confusion as the Water-type walked outside, where she looked up at the sun and smiled. Even from the Pokemon Center's entrance she was able to hear the sound of the waves crashing. She proceeded to stretch for about five minutes before turning around to see Treecko and Fletchling.

"Is Thomas with you guys?" Slowpoke inquired.

Treecko nodded, saying, "Yeah. He's c-c-coming."

The Water-type grunted to herself and sat down, waiting for her trainer to appear. She and Treecko sat down on a bench right by the building's front doors while Fletchling ascended so that he could take a seat on the Pokemon Center's roof. Seconds later, Treecko and Slowpoke watched Thomas step outside. He held a tiny notebook in his left hand and looked at the two females after scribbling something in it.

Fletchling descended from the roof and landed on his trainer's shoulder, ignoring the glare as he asked, "Is dat one 'o dem pads ya write ya thoughts in?"

Thomas shook his head and tucked the notebook in his backpack, but the questions didn't stop.

"Then what is it?" Slowpoke watched Thomas walk away without entertaining her question, putting a scowl on her face. She followed him along with Treecko, who twiddled her fingers and stared at the sidewalk the whole way to the beach. Fletchling swooped down and crashed into the sand, eliciting laughter from Slowpoke while his trainer rolled his eyes.

The only one to offer any sort of assistance was Treecko. She extended a hand, which Fletchling took, and helped him onto his feet while asking, "Are you o-okay?"

Fletchling brushed the sand off his chest and flashed a smile, allowing his teammate to breathe a sigh of relief. However, Slowpoke's continued laughing struck a nerve, so the Flying-type stomped towards her. Even though there was a yard away between herself and Fletchling, Slowpoke's laughter left her unaware of the robin's presence, making his scream all the more startling.

"Da hell's so funny?!"

The pink Pokemon jumped nearly five feet off the ground and shrieked. Thomas recoiled at the high-pitched sound and turned, glaring at the Water-type. Much to his dismay, Slowpoke didn't notice the terrifying look, as she was too focused on knocking Fletchling's head off. Treecko stepped in front of her teammate and shook her head, causing Slowpoke to growl.

"Get out of the way," she demanded.

Keeping an eye on both of the Pokemon as he backed a few feet away, Thomas took his backpack off and reached into it. His eyes lit up after he grabbed a Poke Ball, which he proceeded to unveil and point at Slowpoke. Then, Thomas tapped the top of the device, firing a red beam of light towards his Pokemon's blindspot.

The Water-type suddenly hurdled Treecko and tackled Fletchling all while avoiding being withdrawn to her Poke Ball. All Thomas and his starter could do was gape as the sequence replayed in their minds, leaving Fletchling to fend Slowpoke off by himself. Doing so was much easier said than done considering she had pinned him to the sand, but that didn't deter the robin from trying.

Hurling all of his weight to the side, Fletchling managed to lift Slowpoke just long enough to zip away from her. He flew up about forty feet before examining the area his teammates and trainer were in with a relieved expression. It didn't last long, however, as Slowpoke unleashed a Water Gun attack, the likes of which had never been seen before. Fletchling barely managed to evade, though instead of continuously dodging, he marveled at the power behind Slowpoke's attack.

Slowpoke took aim once more and mustered up all of her strength. Then, she unleashed another Water Gun attack that put the previous one to shame. It looked similar to a Hydro Pump in that the blast of water was a very, very dark shade of blue and there were white rings - all of which were also water - spinning around it. Before he knew it, Fletchling took the attack head-on and fell from the sky in an instant, making Treecko gasp. Thomas, on the other hand, bolted towards the Flying-type and dove with his arms extending as far as they could.

He somehow managed to catch Fletchling and tumbled to a stop, and Treecko ran towards them. The Alolan quickly sat up and eyed his Pokemon, who was resting in his arms rather comfortably, as he smiled. Fletchling opened his eyes shortly thereafter and looked up at Thomas, nodding thankfully as Treecko arrived.

"Did y-you get hur-hur-hurt?" the gecko stammered while shaking.

Fletchling hopped out of Thomas' arms and placed a wing on Treecko's shoulder reassuringly, adding a smile to sell his answer. "Don't botha worryin' 'bout me, it's a waste o' enuhgy," the Kalosian Pokemon advised, his accent growing thicker with each word.

"Nobody will have to think about that when I get my hands on you!"

Slowpoke hared through the sand while foaming at the mouth, which would've elicited screams from Treecko and Thomas had Fletchling not taken off. Because he used Quick Attack, the robin had a ray of white light trail his body. He lowered his head and braced for impact while Slowpoke lunged, and when the two collided, a gust of wind whipped along the beach. It was nearly strong enough to knock Thomas off his feet, but the Alolan kept his balance and watched Fletchling suddenly overpower Slowpoke, ramming her right into the sand.

With the wind being knocked out of her, Slowpoke cried faintly and dropped her head just as Thomas approached. Treecko accompanied the seventeen-year-old while he pulled several Potions out of his backpack and sprayed Slowpoke with half of them. The other half were used on Fletchling who, despite acting like he was perfectly fine, couldn't even move.

"Why do you two always have to fight?" Thomas questioned after putting the empty bottles in his backpack. Neither Pokemon said a word to their trainer, who stared at them for what felt like ages. When he finally looked away, Thomas shook his head and motioned for Treecko to follow him.

The rookie managed to take two steps before a group of people holding surfboards nearly trampled him on their way to the ocean, making him groan before taking a third step. Upon doing so, another group - one made up entirely of Pokemon - blew by and barreled its way to the water.

Thomas scratched the back of his head and watched as all of the Pokemon hopped onto the surfboards along with their trainers. "What was that all about?" he asked aloud, making Treecko shrug.

"That, dude, is just what you and your Pokemon need," somebody said in response. Their tone was too relaxed to scare either Treecko or Thomas, both of whom proceeded to turn to the speaker.

A man who looked to be in his mid-twenties ambled towards the ocean, but he stopped right when he passed Thomas. The black and orange t-shirt he wore looked like it was going to tear at any second as his muscles bulged out. His gloves were also orange and black, as were the athletic shoes he wore and the sunglasses resting on his head.

"Name's Brawly," he greeted while extending a hand. Thomas shook it, putting a smile on Brawly's face before he said, "I'm Dewford Town's Gym Leader. What's your name?"

Thomas gave the surfer a blank stare while Treecko's jaw hit the ground and Fletchling and Slowpoke exchanged glances filled with skepticism. Still, the two made their way over to the conversation and stood by Thomas' side, drawing Brawly's attention.

"I'm Thomas Brooks."

The Gym Leader brought one of his gloved hands up to his chin and examined the Alolan, who, along with his Pokemon, sweat-dropped.

"Quite the interesting group you got here, Thomas. It's not every day ya see someone with either of those," he said, pointing at Slowpoke and Fletchling.

"Thanks?" Thomas replied.

Brawly nodded and quickly pulled a piece of paper out from the pocket of his sky blue shorts, which happened to be the same color as his spiky hair.

"Here," he said while handing the paper over to Thomas, who stared at it until Brawly continued speaking. "Swing by here with that paper at three o'clock, and make sure to wear some swim clothes."

The Gym Leader took off before Thomas could react, leaving him and his Pokemon standing around in confusion.

 **000**

"I look like an idiot."

"What else is new?"

Thomas looked up from the camera on his Pokedex and shot Slowpoke a terrifying glare, which silenced the Water-type right away. He returned his gaze to the camera with a sigh, the ocean breeze blowing against the side of his face.

Treecko turned to face the wind with her arms out to her sides and smiled. Despite having a Gym, Dewford Town was nothing like Rustboro City. Instead of hearing cars honking, engines revving, and people talking on their phones, she listened to the ocean and flocks of Wingull. Everyone was just so much more relaxed than their urban counterparts, who were constantly surrounded by the stresses of work.

"Yo!"

The Grass-type returned to reality as she spotted Brawly jogging through the sand, holding two surfboards in his arms.

"Glad ya came," the Gym Leader said to Thomas, who resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, considering the fact that he still needed to challenge Brawly. Surely he would've been asked about why he didn't swing by.

Fletchling suddenly landed on Thomas' shoulder, causing the brunette to flinch like he always did, and asked Brawly, "So what's da reason fuh draggin' us out heah, four-eyes?"

Treecko and Thomas sweat-dropped at Fletchling's name-calling while Slowpoke muttered something under her breath inaudibly. Brawly, on the other hand, leaned back and let out a hearty laugh for about ten seconds before wiping a tear from his eye.

"It's cuz of you, little dude," the man answered, his smile fading with each word.

Slowpoke snorted while laughing at Fletchling, but she stopped when Brawly strolled towards her.

"You're the other reason," he stated rather seriously. Fletchling and Slowpoke glared at the man as he headed towards the water and motioned for Thomas to follow. The seventeen-year-old and his Pokemon hurried after Brawly, only to be stopped by the Gym Leader tossing a surfboard their way.

Thomas let it fall to the sand before picking the board up and examining it.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" the Alolan inquired, locking eyes with Brawly. A smirk broke out on the elder trainer's face, piquing the interest of Treecko, Slowpoke, and Fletchling.

Brawly slammed the tip of his board into the sand so it could stand on its own, and then he pointed at Thomas, who straightened his posture immediately.

"Did ya bring the paper like I told ya to?" the surfer interrogated, drawing a nod in response. "Noice. Now read it to them." Each of Thomas' Pokemon watched their trainer drop the surfboard and unfold the paper Brawly had given him earlier before speaking.

"In order to challenge the Dewford Town Gym, you and your Pokemon must first... pass a test?!" Thomas yelled.

Brawly brushed off the rookie's glare and pointed back at the paper, prompting Thomas to continue reading.

"Working together with your Pokemon, you must ride a wave."

Looking from the piece of paper as his arms dropped to his sides, Thomas took a deep breath and then shifted his attention to the surfboard laying on the sand. He noticed four strips of tape were wrapped around it, yet the one Brawly kept didn't. The Gym Leader smiled when he saw Thomas' eyes shifting between the boards, which caught Treecko's attention.

"W-w-we have to surf t-t-t-too?"

"That's right. You're all going to be surfing together! Isn't that awesome?"

Slowpoke and Fletchling booed the man despite their trainer's attempts to silence them, though Brawly simply laughed it off. He then yanked his surfboard out of the sand and took a deep breath, causing Thomas to turn around.

"Why is everyone just standing around? Let's get out there and ride a wave!" Brawly roared as he sprinted towards the water.

The quartet he left behind watched him enter the water and lay on his board. Then the Gym Leader used his limbs to swim a couple hundred feet or so, and once he was satisfied with his position, he turned back to shore while sitting. Within seconds, a wave rolled towards Brawly, so he began to swim.

"Why is he moving away from it? Doesn't he want to ride the wave?" Slowpoke asked aloud. Thomas shrugged but continued watching.

As the wave grew taller and taller, Brawly put both of his feet on his surfboard and rose. One end of the wave proceeded to roll over itself while the Gym Leader zipped away, avoiding being swept up in the massive body of water. His audience gaped at the scene, and, before they knew it, he was back on land.

"Your turn."

The quartet dead-panned for a moment until Thomas turned to his Pokemon, squatted, and gently placed the surfboard by his side. He then glanced at each of the three creatures, subtly examining their facial expressions.

Slowpoke was brimming with confidence, and understandably so considering she was a Water-type. Surprisingly, Treecko grinned as she looked out at the ocean, matching Slowpoke's confidence. Then there was Fletchling, who, despite squawking with excitement, had sweat beating down his head while his legs convulsed.

Thomas rubbed his eyes and eyed the Flying-type for a second time. Nothing about his appearance had changed in the three seconds that passed, yet Thomas didn't say anything about it. In fact, he ignored it all together and waved to grab everyone's attention.

Once he did, Thomas spoke. "Slowpoke, you're going to be the anchor. Your job is to get us all the way out there and use your tail to help us ride the wave smoother. Fletchling, you can use your wings to make us more aerodynamic, so you're at the front. Treecko, you'll be behind him. Your job is to help me keep the board steady."

Brawly looked on in amusement, taking note of the enthusiastic responses from Slowpoke and Treecko while thinking, _He's already come up with a formation to maximize everyone's strengths. Not bad._

On that note, Thomas picked up the surfboard and marched towards the ocean with his starter and Slowpoke. Fletchling lagged behind them, trembling as sweat continued to roll down his head. With each step taken, the gap between himself and the ocean lessened.

"Fletchling?"

The robin flinched at his name before looking at Treecko, who, along with Thomas, stared at him.

"We're going, so get ready to hop on," Thomas forewarned, drawing a nod from his Pokemon as a wave crashed. "Good. Now let's get this over with."

Slowpoke and Treecko joined their trainer on the surfboard without any hesitation while Fletchling attempted to do the same. However, as soon as his foot made contact with the water he turned around and bolted. Both of his teammates and Thomas deadpanned in response while Brawly, still looking on from afar, grinned.

"What the hell are you doing?" Slowpoke snapped. "Get on the damn surfboard already!"

Fletchling stared out at the water, causing his heart to beat faster than usual. The stare he received from Thomas, like Slowpoke's coarse language, didn't alleviate his anxiety, quite the contrary. In addition to sweating profusely, Fletchling's breathing increased.

If there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was water. He didn't know how to swim because - newsflash - he didn't have to. Flying allowed Fletchling to avoid his worst enemy throughout his whole life... until now.

A light tap on his shoulder sent a jolt through Fletchling's body, eliciting a scream before he stumbled back and fell. When the robin looked up he saw Treecko smiling with her hand extended, and she helped him back onto his feet.

After doing so, the gecko noticed Fletchling's shortness of breath and the fear in his eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell what Fletchling was afraid of, and yet Treecko didn't say a word about it. Instead, she smiled and said, "We c-can't do this without y-you, Fletchling."

Fletchling's eyes opened wide as he stared at Treecko in silence. She was no longer the one needing to be rescued, he was. And for the first time since they became teammates, Treecko gave Fletchling the courage to face his fears, just as he had done for her many times before. They were more than teammates; they were friends.

The thought lingered in Fletchling's mind, but he snapped out of his unresponsive state with a deafening squawk. Thomas looked on and grinned while Slowpoke turned her head away, doing everything she could to suppress the urge to smile.

Treecko and Fletchling made their way toward the surfboard and walked into the ocean, though the latter froze as soon as he felt water rush against his foot. Although every fiber of his being wanted to turn and run back to land, Fletchling fought against his instincts and, with Treecko by his side, sat at the front of the surfboard. With everyone in position, Thomas gave Slowpoke a thumbs up, prompting her to cruise toward where Brawly had been earlier.

Traveling in silence, the quartet was left with nothing to listen to except Slowpoke pumping her legs and a group of Wingull squawking from atop Granite Cave. None of them could hear the chatter emanating from the beach, as they were all locked in - plus they were really far away.

Once she felt she had gone far enough, Slowpoke turned so that she and the others faced Dewford Town. The Water-type proceeded to lift herself up and onto the surfboard, generating a scream from Fletchling.

"Good job, Slowpoke," Thomas commended while looking at the pink Pokemon, who shrugged in response. "Fletchling, you're up."

A sigh came from the robin, but he waved back to his trainer in an attempt to play it off. Rising to his feet, Fletchling stuck his wings out to his sides and waited for a breeze to come. It came a moment later, as did the sound of a wave. Thomas and Slowpoke looked over their shoulders to see a mammoth-sized wall of water approaching, prompting the former to return his gaze back to the beach.

Then, the Alolan stated, "All right, everyone, get ready! If we do it right the first time, we can challenge Brawly!" Cheers followed before Thomas added, "Slowpoke, start heading back to shore!"

"Got it," the pink Pokemon replied, plunging her tail into the water while spinning it like a helicopter blade.

"Treecko, make sure Fletchling doesn't fall off."

The Grass-type nodded at her trainer's command and leaned forward, preparing for her teammate to fall. She herself nearly fell off the surfboard, as Slowpoke kicked it into high gear. Fletchling's wings made them travel even faster, as they sliced through the wind, but Thomas kept his eyes on the wave, which traveled at an even greater speed.

"Now stand!" he screamed.

Slowpoke, Treecko, and Fletchling did as they were told, shakily rising to their feet right before the tidal wave started to crash behind them. Despite lacking experience, Thomas and his starter maintained their balance and guided the surfboard along without any trouble, generating smiles from them, Slowpoke, and even Fletchling.

"Ay, dis ain't so bad! Da watuh's kinda nice!" the robin exclaimed giddily.

Brawly laughed at the sight and put his hands on his hips, but he stopped almost immediately. A look of horror washed over his face upon noticing how quickly the wave was rolling over itself while Thomas and his Pokemon were slowing down dramatically.

The Alolan also noticed that, and when he turned he saw Slowpoke biting her tongue. Her tail wasn't spinning as fast as it had been earlier, and the wave was beginning to close on them. There was no chance of getting away, and he knew it.

"Everyone, get ready to-"

Before Thomas could finish his thought, he and his Pokemon were swallowed by the wave and thrown off the surfboard.

Twisting and tumbling underwater with his eyes shut, Thomas struggled to break free from the wave. He had no idea how far out in the ocean he was, nor did he have a clue about where his Pokemon were. He continued flailing about until something wrapped itself around his torso, pulling him out of the current and towards the surface. Upon resurfacing, Thomas gasped for air and searched for what had saved him, only to find he was alone.

Slowpoke's head popped out of the water a few seconds later, and she swam over to her trainer with a panicked expression.

"Thanks for saving me. Are you okay?" Thomas quizzed after embracing the Water-type, who quickly broke away from him and continued to look around frantically.

"Did you see Treecko or Fletchling while you were underwater?"

After watching Thomas shake his head, Slowpoke cursed wildly and submerged herself. She then surveyed the area underwater, hoping to see either of her teammates, but she didn't. After returning to Thomas' side and looking around the surface, where there was nothing except water, Slowpoke bit her lip.

"I can't find either of them!" she screamed, making her trainer flinch. "Are they on the beach?"

"It doesn't look like it," Thomas replied quietly. "But don't worry, I'll help you look!"

Right after that, Treecko's head popped out of the water about twenty feet inland. She then inhaled dramatically and dove back under, unaware of Slowpoke and Thomas swimming towards her.

Treecko kept her eyes open as she descended into the depths of the ocean. She remembered seeing Fletchling sink towards the bottom while the wave dragged her along, yet there weren't any signs of him.

 _Where is he? Where is he?_ the gecko asked herself over and over again until a lack of oxygen forced her to resurface. When she did, Treecko took another deep breath and prepared to dive back underwater, but something grabbed her a second before she could.

When she turned, Treecko saw Slowpoke and Thomas floating about a foot away. The Water-type unwrapped her tail and asked, "Have you seen Fletchling?"

Much to her shock, as well as Thomas', Treecko dove back underwater, ignoring the question altogether. She kicked her legs violently and kept her eyes peeled, searching for even the slightest trace of Fletchling until she spotted Slowpoke. The quadruped swam all the way to the floor of the ocean with Treecko in tow.

As luck would have it, they found Fletchling laying on a rock and swam over to him. Treecko scooped the robin up and grabbed Slowpoke's extended tail, prompting the Kantonian Pokemon to speed towards the surface. Treecko smiled to herself as she looked at Fletchling and then at the surface, which grew closer by the second. Then, all of a sudden, Slowpoke stopped swimming and simply floated in place. She had passed out for reasons unbeknownst to Treecko.

 _No!_ the gecko screamed mentally as she watched her teammate's limp body drop past her and sink towards the ocean floor. _Fletchling and I need air, but if I leave Slowpoke she'll drown! What do I do?!_

Treecko looked back and forth between Slowpoke and Fletchling, her heart beating faster and faster as adrenaline rushed through her veins.

 _I can do this! I can do this!_

Then it happened. A white veil of light enveloped Treecko as she swam towards the surface with Fletchling in her arms. While her limbs grew and her feet became bird-like, three leaves sprouted out of her wrists. Along with that came two leafy tails and one large leaf appeared on her head.

Once the light faded, she created a clone that zipped after Slowpoke and grabbed her before ascending. Emerging from the water in mere seconds with both of her unconscious teammates, the Grass-type locked eyes with Thomas and smiled, only to watch his jaw drop. However, he refrained from speaking and swam to shore with his Pokemon, where Brawly was waiting along with Nurse Joy.

The pink-haired woman and Gym Leader immediately performed CPR on Slowpoke and Fletchling before hooking them up to oxygen tanks. Thomas looked on until he turned to his starter, who had walked over without making a sound.

"How did you evolve? And why were there two of you?" he asked right away.

The Grass-type tilted her head, causing Thomas to grab his Pokedex from his backpack and scan her.

"Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokemon, and the evolved form of Treecko. This Pokémon adeptly flies from branch to branch in trees. In a forest, no Pokémon can ever hope to catch a fleeing Grovyle however fast they may be. New moves learned: Double Team, Mega Drain, and Double Kick."

Once he showed her the description and picture, Grovyle backpedaled away and looked down at her hands, which had two clawed fingers instead of three digits. Her skin had also turned a darker green, though that was the least shocking change. She looked back up at Thomas, who seemed to be waiting for a response, and shrugged.

"It's cuz ya needed to save 'em, and ya realized there was no margin for error." Both Thomas and Grovyle turned to see Brawly, who looked terrifyingly serious. "Nurse Joy wanted me ta tell ya that those two will be at full strength by tomorrow, and I wanted ta know if the both of ya are all right. That was some wave earlier."

Thomas glared at the Gym Leader, causing him to stop talking in an instant. Grovyle, on the other hand, smiled at Brawly.

"We are, thanks," she began, drawing his attention as well as Thomas'. "By the way, can you please let us try surfing again? I want to be able to tell Fletchling and Slowpoke that we can challenge you when they wake up."

Both Thomas and Brawly deadpanned, but the elder trainer quickly cracked a smile and made his way to Grovyle's side. When he did, he put an arm over her shoulder and gave a thumbs up, confusing the Grass-type.

"There's no need. The whole point of that exercise was ta get you, your trainer, and your teammates ta work together, and that's just what happened."

"So what does that mean for us?" Thomas interrogated.

Brawly grinned once again, this time making his way to Thomas' side and putting an arm over his shoulder.

"I'll be waiting for ya at the Gym."

With that, the surfer walked away. Neither Thomas or Grovyle could say a word, but after looking at each other, they broke out smiling and embraced. The celebration wasn't only about Brawly saying they had passed, however, it was also because Fletchling and Slowpoke were safe and expected to make full recoveries.

"Hey! Brawly!" Grovyle called after she and her trainer broke apart.

The aforementioned trainer turned and faced his soon-to-be-challengers while backpedaling, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"We'll pass that test on our first try!"

Brawly laughed heartily in response and waved, prompting Thomas and Grovyle to do the same. Then, the Gym Leader spun on his heels and continued walking back to the Gym with a smile. Even though he wanted to root for them, Brawly knew that, as a Gym Leader, he wasn't allowed to hold anything back. And that's just what he planned on doing.

* * *

 **Aw hell yeah! Although they failed to successfully ride a wave, Thomas and his Pokemon passed Brawly's test when Treecko evolved in order to save Fletchling and Slowpoke from drowning. With that mini hurdle cleared, nothing's standing between Thomas and his second badge, right? Wrong! Next chapter will introduce the antagonists and their goals, both of which I'm sure you'll enjoy, and there will also be a battle!  
Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. What are your thoughts on Treecko evolving? I enjoyed it not being in a battle, but feel free to disagree!  
2\. Would you like to see more team-focused chapters like this one? By that I mean the focus would be on the _team_ bonding, and could either include Tom or leave him out entirely**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!"**_

 _ **When video of a Pokemon appearing from a wormhole in the sky is aired on national television, the thugs that tried kidnapping Ali are given orders to capture the mysterious creature otherwise known as an Ultra Beast. But they're not the only ones in pursuit. What are Ultra Beasts, and who else is hunting them?**_

* * *

 **Dewford Town Arc**

 **Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!  
** **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl**


	14. Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!

**Merry Christmas, everyone! Last chapter, Thomas and his team met Brawly, who forced them to work together (through surfing) before they were allowed to challenge him. Things went horribly, but when Fletchling and Slowpoke were drowning, Treecko evolved and saved them, which earned Thomas the right to battle Brawly. This chapter will feature the introduction of Ultra Beasts and the antagonists, and that's about it. Now let's get going!**

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _That pun made a splashy entrance! Okay, I'll leave. As you said, Thomas and Brawly will battle once Fletchling and Slowpoke are okay, although the winner won't be determined by strength - take that as you may. I almost pushed her evolution back to Chapter 15, but having it during a battle was a turnoff. Come to think of it, of the six remaining evolutions, only one of them is during a battle. It's interesting that you brought up the idea of Pokemon evolving "at their own pace" because, coincidentally, that's how they've been determined! Each time will be different than the previous, yet they'll all have the same theme. Also, there will be quite a few chapters like the last, especially after a new member is added. And while I don't think anyone will be taking a backseat, chapters like that, as you said, would help put them back in the spotlight. Thanks for the review!_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _You and me both xD Halfway through writing, I realized how Brawly was actually... interesting given his methods. Treecko/Grovyle's MVP is well-deserved, and she'll earn the praise (about being a beast) in time. And good eye with her lack of stuttering, which was done intentionally! It isn't permanent, but you'll find out when she does it pretty quickly. As for the Gym Battle, it'll be more about Thomas than his Pokemon while the Ultra Beasts... I'll refrain from saying anything about them :P There most certainly will be another team-focused chapter in the future, and thanks for the awesome review!_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _She is, indeed. And while it may just be one step towards fulfilling her potential as a badass, it sure is a massive one, if you ask me. Powerhouse status is certainly within reach for Grovyle too, although Fletchling may have something to say about that (and so should a future capture). Thomas' team is loaded with monsters and, unlike Owen or Gray, he won't have that one member that always loses. Everyone will get to shine. Fletchling finally has a flaw (huzzah!), and it was really nice letting him and Slowpoke get rescued by Grovyle for a change. Thanks for the review(s)!_

 **MCMXCV:** _Thanks, and no problem. It was about time I showed Fletchling's weaknesses and added a little bit to Slowpoke, who's had the least development of the three Pokemon. Also, I find Tom's personality to be quietly funny and (to an extent) relatable. It makes him the perfect trainer for his team, since he's so unfazed by everything about them. As for the bonding, I'm glad you like it, because after realizing how nonexistent that was in my other stories, I wanted to make it a focal point in this one. The Gym Battle will definitely be a spectacle, but it'll focus a lot more on Thomas and Brawly rather than their Pokemon. Thanks for the awesome review!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 16, Pound, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain, Double Team*, Double Kick*** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

"So why were you surfing?" Ali asked.

After spending the entire day training for their Gym Battle, Ali, Bell, and Lisia agreed that they'd relax in their room at the Pokemon Center. At least, that was the plan until they ran into Thomas, who was keeping an eye on Fletchling and Slowpoke after, according to the Alolan, they had nearly died. It only took a few hours for the pair to wake up and, of course, be at each other's throats, but their verbal war ended the moment they laid eyes on Grovyle.

"It's because of those two," Thomas replied flatly, pointing at Fletchling and Slowpoke, who both grinned sheepishly in response. "They're lucky Grovyle evolved, otherwise they'd be at the bottom of the ocean, and I'd be down two Pokemon."

The joke fell flat on its face with no one laughing other than Thomas, who sweat-dropped. He quickly returned to fiddling with the television, leaving Lisia and her Pokemon to converse with his team.

"Well, I'm just glad no one got hurt... or worse," Lisia announced. "Anyways, what are you doing, Thomas?"

Everyone focused their sights on the Alolan, who continued fiddling with the television while keeping his back to the group. The lack of a response deterred Lisia and the Pokemon from asking Thomas another question, but it didn't stop them from talking amongst themselves.

"Don't botha worryin' 'bout him," Fletchling told Lisia, who was still pouting about her question not being answered.

Suddenly, Thomas pumped his fist with a smile and took a seat in the open chair next to Lisia while their Pokemon huddled around the TV, leaning toward the screen to see what they would be watching. Bell rose to her feet and turned the volume up before anyone could ask, and once she sat down, the group looked on with intrigue.

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!" the announcer screeched, only to be drowned out by the roar of the crowd. "Just when you think this battle can't get any crazier, it slaps you in the face and makes you call it Sally!"

Thomas and Lisia dead-panned at the comment, but the Pokemon were too enraptured by the sight of smoke covering a battlefield. The trainers were a young man who looked no older than twenty and a boy that couldn't have been older than twelve, while the Pokemon standing in front of them were a Charizard and Pangoro, respectively.

"Is this live?" Slowpoke inquired, which Thomas answered by shaking his head. "So then why are we watching when we can just look up the result?" The Alolan simply pointed at the screen, shutting his Pokemon up right away.

"You're one of a kind, Dalton," the elder trainer commended, unaware of the camera focused on him. "But we're not about to hand over the title of Kalos Champion, are we, Charizard?"

The winged lizard released a mighty roar following his trainer's inquiry, and the crowd began to stir along with the commentator. It seemed as if all of the people in the stadium were aware of what was going to happen next... except Dalton and his Pangoro. Or maybe they just weren't fazed. Their emotionless faces made it hard to tell what exactly was going through their minds.

Their opponents grinned in response, and just as the commentator began speaking, Lisia did too.

"Do you know who either of those trainers are, Thomas?" The bluenette watched her Alolan friend nod, his eyes remaining glued to the TV even as he prepared to answer the question.

"The older one's Owen Plateau, the Kalos region's Champion of the past... twenty-three years or something," he said. "His challenger's none other than The Kalos Kid, Dalton Larosa."

Lisia raised an eyebrow as Thomas turned the volume back up, only to put it back on mute when he was asked another question.

"You don't mean _the_ Dalton Larosa, do you?"

He nodded, drawing a gasp from Lisia, whose Pokemon turned in an instant. Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke did the same and eyed Thomas, who remained fixated on the battle.

Ali quizzed, "Who's that? Is he a friend of yours?"

Lisia shook her head emphatically, asking, "Do none of you know Dalton?" Ali and Bell shook their heads in unison while Slowpoke tapped her tail against the ground, anxiously waiting to learn about the boy on TV. Before Thomas or Lisia could elaborate, the sound of an explosion emanated from the TV and grabbed everyone's attention.

"Jump into the smoke and use Foul Play!"

"Do the same, and counter with Brick Break!"

Black aura twisted around Pangoro as he rushed into the cloud of smoke covering the middle of the grass battlefield while Charizard spread his wings and zipped forward with both of his fists enveloped in white light. Both Pokemon disappeared inside the thick, black cloud before colliding. The force of impact was so great it created gale force winds, which blew the smoke away in an instant and knocked Owen and Dalton onto their backs.

 _BOOOOOM!_

Every spectator ducked when chunks of the battlefield flew into the stands while Charizard and Pangoro were hurled past their trainers and into the tunnels behind them.

"Oh my! Those are such powerful Pokemon!" Bell exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and turning to the others. "Just who is that Dalton person?"

"He's a former member of the Kalos Elite Four," Thomas replied, drawing a nod from Lisia. "There was actually a point in time when he was unanimously considered to be the strongest trainer in the world."

All of the Pokemon turned to the television in silence and stared at Dalton, whose expressionless face sent chills down their spines. Suddenly, Pangoro walked past the child and cracked his knuckles upon locking eyes with his opponent. The camera then focused on Owen and his Charizard, the latter of whom had returned to the battlefield at the same time as Pangoro.

The Champion and his ace broke eye contact with their challengers when they looked up at the scoreboard, which displayed both trainers and all twelve of the Pokemon that had appeared in the battle. Owen's six, from top to bottom, were Garchomp, Heatmor, Krookodile, Zangoose, Blaziken, and Charizard while Dalton's were Amoonguss, Weavile, Gliscor, Starmie, Dragonite, and Pangoro.

"Folks, I know I've said this about a hundred times before, but I'll say it again: these trainers and their Pokemon might be having the greatest battle ever! It's certainly already in the top five, but if there's a crazy finish..." The commentator's voice trailed off, prompting Thomas to raise the volume while the camera focused on Pangoro.

He cracked his knuckles and turned to Dalton with a grin. His trainer nodded, looking across the battlefield and at Owen, who smiled in response.

"Let's fight with our full power!" Dalton shouted as he and his Pokemon put their hands over their hearts at the same time. "Pangoro!"

A geyser of shadows swallowed the bipedal panda whole, taking everyone in the stadium by surprise - except Owen and Charizard. The shadows dispersed a few seconds later, revealing Pangoro and his new appearance. All of the hair on his head turned gold and seemed to be glowing, while his eyes became blue, making Pangoro look like Dalton.

While the crowd erupted with cheers of support for Dalton and Pangoro, Owen and Charizard placed their left hands over their right wrists in unison, silencing everyone in the stadium. They all knew what was coming, and so did Thomas and Lisia. Their Pokemon, on the other hand, looked on in angst.

"Charizard, Mega Fuse!" the Champion roared.

Suddenly, Charizard was engulfed by a tornado of flames - both red and blue -, and he let out a deafening roar. Shortly after doing so, the flames were ousted. Standing in place of the winged lizard was a completely different Pokemon, one the world had become familiar with ever since Owen had become Kalos' Champion.

All of Charizard's skin had turned black except his underbelly, which remained orange. The black portions of his body - the top of his head, arms, and the insides of his wings - were complimented by crimson fire being emitted from the three spikes on his head, and his wings also took on the shape of his Mega X form. To top it off, red flames streamed out of the sides of his mouth.

"What just happened? How did Charizard and Pangoro transform?!" Grovyle yelled after turning to her trainer.

Thomas looked away from the television screen once the trainers started speaking to each other, and stated, "Dalton and Pangoro used a technique called Synchro Evolution, which can only be done when a trainer and Pokemon's bond is at its absolute max. Owen and Charizard just used something exclusive to them: Mega Fusion. It's an even stronger form of Mega Evolution that uses both Charizard's X and Y forms."

The Grass-type's jaw dropped as she stared at both Pokemon on the screen. Even though the battle had occurred over a decade earlier, Grovyle felt her heart pounding in anticipation of what was to come. Charizard's and Pangoro's combined power was bone-chilling for Thomas, Lisia, and their Pokemon.

"I can only imagine what it was like watching the battle live," Slowpoke mumbled.

"Think about what da people at da stadium must'a felt," Fletchling added, drawing nods from both of his teammates. "Dat's da type'a battle we's gonna be in. Ain't dat right, Boss?"

Thomas looked away from the television and at his Pokemon before shrugging, causing each of them to deadpan while Lisia, Ali, and Bell laughed.

"Let's make this the best battle we can, Dalton!" Owen shouted, his voice exploding from the television. Everyone shifted their focus back to the battle and moved closer to the screen as Dalton nodded.

"Right! Pangoro, use Dragon Claw!"

"Thunder Punch, Charizard!"

The two Pokemon rushed toward the middle of the battlefield and threw their fists forward, but just as they collided, the program switched to a woman sitting behind a desk. The group stared in confusion for a moment until Thomas turned up the volume.

"We interrupt this program for breaking news," she said robotically, like any news anchor would. "Videos of a strange creature appearing from a hole in the sky and attacking people have gone viral!"

The camera switched from the woman to a video - which seemed to be shot on a Pokedex - of a feminine cockroach descending from a blue wormhole. It then dropped to the ground and rushed at a crowd of trainers and Pokemon, delivering a series of devastating kicks that sent everyone flying. After knocking out all of its potential opponents, the cockroach locked its sights on the person behind the camera and sprinted toward them, causing the video to end immediately.

A second later, the anchorwoman reappeared on the screen with a frightful expression on her face.

"Hoenn's Champion, Blade, has issued a statement regarding the incident."

Thomas and Lisia exchanged confused glances before the screen displayed Blade, who held his walking cane in his right hand. Although he was blind, the way the Champion stared into the camera with his grayish eyes made it seem as if he wasn't.

"The creature that attacked Slateport City is believed to be an Ultra Beast, which, like many people know, attacked the Alola region a few years ago. Both Sinnoh and Kalos sent their top trainers to help deal with the issue, but even with the help, I advise everyone to avoid all contact with these creatures. In the event that you do encounter an Ultra Beast, contact the local authorities and let them handle the situation. Thank you for your time, and please be careful."

And just like that, Owen's and Dalton's battle was put back on. However, with it being over - Dalton had been shown at Pangoro's side - and the sudden news about Ultra Beasts in their minds, no one paid any attention to the television.

Lisia turned to Thomas and saw him hanging his head and staring at the ground. He was shaking like a wet dog, rattled by the brief speech Blade delivered and the video of the Ultra Beast destroying everything in its sights.

"How?" he whispered, drawing the attention of his three Pokemon. "How are they back?"

 **000**

Two people - one dressed in all white and the other in all black - sat in a house at the edge of Petalburg City along with a Kommo-o and Houndoom, both of whom remained silent even after the television was paused.

" _That_ , is what I want you two to capture," a third person stated, pointing at the Ultra Beast on the screen. "It's essential to our research, so you mustn't let it escape."

Both of the subordinates and their Pokemon nodded right away, keeping quiet as the person sitting across from them rose and resumed speaking. "Please head back to Dewford Town right now, otherwise your chance at encountering it will have come and gone."

"Are you sure you want us going?" asked the hulking man in white. "I mean, we failed our previous mission there, and-"

 _SMACK!_

The man's face burned while his partner in black - a woman maybe half his size - glared at him and retracted her hand. "What the hell are you trying to do, Blanco?" she interrogated, ignoring her boss' presence. "Let's go!"

"Negro, do you remember what I told you about hitting people?" asked the boss. His fatherly tone knocked the young woman back into her seat and made her nod several times. The mature man folded his arms over his chest and laughed quietly before turning his attention to Blanco. "Please finish your thought."

Blanco nodded. "I was going to suggest sending someone like Azul or Verde because people recognize us. And there's that girl and her Gengar that we'd have to worry about."

Despite Negro's intense glare, Blanco kept his eyes on his boss, who had nodded along to his explanation while pacing around the room. He stopped in front of Kommo-o and Houndoom to pat them both on the head with a smile before placing his hands on his hips and, finally, responding.

"Great thinking, Son. However, I still want you to go. Now would you and your sister mind getting Azul and Rojo?"

Both Blanco and Negro shook their heads and left the room with their Pokemon. Azul, Lucario, Rojo, and Scizor appeared within a minute and took their seats. Once the jumpsuit-wearing duo was brought up to speed about the plan, Azul groaned and pointed at Rojo.

"Why do _I_ have to be stuck working with her for every assignment? Verde would be a much better partner considering he's actually competent!"

The girl in red hung her head instead of arguing, but she looked up after feeling a hand fall on her shoulder. It was her boss, and he smiled while giving a thumbs up. Then, he turned to Azul, who had her arms crossed like a child.

"You know Ro's much more capable than you give her credit," he retorted, using the same fatherly tone from his conversation with Negro. "Besides, Verde isn't even here."

Both girls raised their eyebrows at the same time, making their boss chuckle.

"But he didn't say goodbye," Rojo muttered. "Where did he go?"

The man brought a finger up to his lips, avoiding the question. "By the time you two finish your mission in Dewford, he'll be back. Now get going, or else you won't be able to get that stone and capture the Ultra Beast."

Rojo and Azul hurried out of the room along with their Pokemon, leaving the man to himself. As soon as the door closed, he turned to the television and stared at the Ultra Beast. Then, he threw his fist forward and punched a hole through the creature - or the picture of it. Blood trickled down his knuckles, but the rage coursing through his body prevented him from feeling any pain.

"Unlike last time, I _will_ destroy them."

 **000**

"Tyson! Molly! Come over here and check this out!"

The aforementioned duo strolled over to Greninja, who was sitting by the television in their hotel room, and watched the video of the Ultra Beast attacking Slateport. Both trainers shook their heads once it was over and walked out to the balcony overlooking all of Dewford Town. Greninja followed them as they sat down in silence, but the sound of Molly's Pokedex ringing ended the peaceful moment.

"Is that Blade?" Tyson inquired.

"No," the blonde answered. She then accepted the call and, after turning on her camera, asked, "What's up, Dad? Is everything okay?"

The man on the other end of the video chat, Owen Plateau, began to nod. He stopped and groaned, however, after the sound of glass shattering traveled into his office. Molly laughed at her father's reaction, as did Tyson and Greninja.

"I take it that April's home?"

Before Owen could respond, a bomb - or something like one - exploded, and a series of screams followed. The middle-aged man and his daughter deadpanned, but once all was quiet in his house, the Champion finally spoke.

"Blade wanted me to tell you and Tyson that he expects the Ultra Beast to arrive in Dewford Town some time tomorrow, so please be careful."

Molly smiled and gave her father a thumbs up while Tyson put his arm around her shoulder and proclaimed, "No need to worry, Mister Plateau. Greninja and I won't let a thing happen to Molly!"

Greninja nodded in support of his trainer's claim, easing the man's nerves.

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much," Molly shot back playfully, lifting Tyson's arm off her shoulder shortly thereafter. "Anyways, Dad, why are the Ultra Beasts here in Hoenn? I thought someone in Alola got rid of them a few years back."

Owen sighed and shrugged. "We have no idea. That's why you have to catch those things before they can do any more damage."

Tyson raised an eyebrow in response along with Greninja, drawing Owen's attention.

"So does that mean we're expected to battle those things?"

Owen nodded.

"Even though _you_ and the other Champions weren't able to beat them?"

Again, Owen nodded.

"All right! Greninja, this is our chance to really shine! Even if we have to use our ultimate technique, there's no way I'm gonna back down from a fight!"

Greninja roared in response, causing both Owen and Molly to sweat-drop. Once the Kalosian and his starter calmed down, they bowed apologetically and let Molly take over the conversation.

"That's all I had to say to you guys, so I'll get going," the middle-aged man said with a smile. "Best of luck!"

With that, the chat ended.

* * *

 **Yeah, Ultra Beasts happened. Aside from that, the antagonists were introduced, and it was revealed that Molly and Tyson are going to help take down the Ultra Beasts! Next chapter will focus on the Spanish-color-people returning to Dewford,** **the Ultra Beast (Pheromosa) attacking,** **and Tyson and Molly attempting to capture the UB! Also, I've decided to shorten this sub-arc, so that means there's a new batch of titles! Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. Predictions for the next set of chapters?**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!"**_

 _ **Panic erupts when the Ultra Beast, Pheromosa, attacks Dewford Town! But things get even worse when**_ _ **Blanco, Negro, Azul, and Rojo**_ _ **try to capture it and find a special stone. Thomas and Louise engage the Ultra Beast, but they're quickly overpowered... at least initially. Who will lend a hand in stopping Pheromosa?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl  
** **Chapter 18: Ghost Ship Gaffe  
 **Chapter 19:** Trickhouse Trials  
** **Chapter 20: Angel or Demon?  
Chapter 21: The Color Crew Assembles** **  
** **Chapter 22: Regaining Rhythm  
** **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough** **  
** **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives** **  
Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	15. The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!

**Well would you look at that. Updating took much longer than expected, but at least I'm here, right? Anyways, last chapter featured the introduction of Pheromosa, the antagonists, and the return of Molly and Tyson. Things will pick up very quickly this time around, however, as Tom and company will have to combat the quartet of Rojo, Azul, Blanco, and Negro, as well as Pheromosa! Now let's get going!**

 **MCMXCV:** _You could say that they're like a big family (nice noticing that), and two of them will have ties to some of the main characters/protagonists, which I'm sure people will enjoy. And while Owen's time on "screen" will be extremely limited, Molly and Tyson will serve pretty significant roles so they'll both return every few arcs or so. I can tell you that all of the trainers from Sinnoh, Kalos, and Hoenn have appeared in some fashion, though y'all weren't properly introduced to one of them. Tom's connection with the Ultra Beasts could be because of his dad, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see ;)_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Yes to all, especially Molly being a thing (I really loved her in PKL too). The leader is quite different than most others in that he treats his subordinates with respect, and the family environment he's created is even weirder. As for that branch, it snapped. They *may* know each other, but I doubt I'll go with that. I like the predictions, by the way!_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Only a wee bit :P I always wanted to have a flashback battle featuring Owen (like how old sports' games are rebroadcasted), so why not do it now with his daughter being a part of the story? And you're also right about how Dalton will exist later. As for the evil team, I'm very excited about what they're going to do, especially now that the Ultra Beasts are here. Every confrontation with the UBs will feature an insanely powerful trainer (Tyson, Molly, Gallade Guy to name a few) because the main cast, as of this point, is way too weak to hold their own_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _I think they will be, with my favorite being Gallade Guy vs Xurkitree. Thanks!_

 **dragonplayer18:** _Better late than never (unless it's not), lol. If I recall correctly, only one of the evolutions will be during a battle (though they won't evolve in order to win), and the Dewford Gym isn't being skipped, it's Chapter 17_

 **Blaze Falcon:** _Hopefully you enjoyed everything! There isn't a particular rhyme or reason for the UBs appearing in Hoenn (as of now), but you'll find out eventually, and I think it's really cool. Things definitely are hitting the fan, though I'm sure Tyson and Molly (mainly Tyson) can put a stop to it before anything happens to Dewford. Thanks for the review, and nice predictions!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Lol, no worries. I couldn't tell who that was for a little while, but my guess turned out to be right! Boss-man is very unhappy about the UBs appearing, but for what reason? Makes you wonder :P Thanks! I'd like to continue to add bits of "historic" battles like that whenever it's plausible, and Molly and Tyson should have some intense battles against the Color Crew and Pheromosa. Thanks again! I always put a ton of thought into the titles, so I really appreciate the compliment!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 16, Pound, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain, Double Team*, Double Kick*** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion***

* * *

"No way, Tyson! Absolutely not!"

"Awww, come on, Molly! You're no fun at all!"

Greninja, Charizard, and Samurott watched from afar as their trainers continued yelling at each another, ditching their plans of training entirely. Even though the sun was beginning to rise, both Molly and Tyson had spent hours preparing for the Ultra Beast's arrival, amping up the training program of their Pokemon. Only three of them - Greninja and Charizard, being the most prominent - weren't close to collapsing while their teammates, on the other hand, had to be healed by Nurse Joy.

The Water-type looked at Charizard and shook his head as he sighed, drawing laughter from the lizard. "I swear, they argue like they're an old couple."

Charizard folded his arms and nodded along with Samurott, adding, "One second they're getting along, and then the next second they're at each other's throats over something so..."

"Stupid?" Samurott asked, finishing her friend's sentence. "That's our Molly."

Greninja chuckled, thinking the same thing about Tyson. In all of his years knowing the Kalosian, the one thing he could say for certain was Tyson had a knack for doing stupid things. "What're they bickering about anyway?" he quizzed, only for Molly's two starters to shrug.

"He wants Molly to convince Owen to battle him," a monotonous voice stated from a tree branch, causing the trio to spin around. Laying against the tree was a tall, bipedal owl whose face was covered by a hood made of leaves. Its brown wings, which had white spots, were folded behind its head, and the creature kept its sights on the clouds above.

Samurott glared at her teammate, though he didn't care.

"That look gets old pretty quick."

"If you'd come down here and fight me, Robinhoot, I wouldn't have to keep giving it!"

The Alolan Pokemon turned ever so slightly and locked eyes with Samurott. In a matter of seconds, he yawned despite her fearsome glare, further enraging the Water-type while Charizard and Greninja sweat-dropped.

 _Like trainer, like Pokemon,_ they both thought, only to return their attention to their trainers.

"C'mon! I know I can win, so just ask 'em for me!"

"I already said no!"

The pair of twenty-one-year olds stared each other down, neither backing away from the challenge. After a few seconds Molly sighed and placed her hands on her hips, a look her friend was all too familiar with. Even Samurott, who was overwhelmed with anger, shut her mouth and turned away from Robinhoot.

"Okay, how about we make a wager?" the blonde began, maintaining her pose. "If you and Greninja beat me and Charizard, then I'll ask my dad. But-"

"Say no more! We've got a deal!" Tyson roared before turning to his very first Pokemon. "You heard the lady, didn't you, Greninja? Let's win and battle Owen!"

Molly, on the other hand, simply looked at Charizard and motioned for him to get up. The winged lizard and Greninja deadpanned at the trainers, but they ultimately obliged. Once both Pokemon faced each other they sighed, but as soon as Tyson motioned for his female counterpart to make the first move, they buckled down, seemingly unaware of the looming chaos.

 **000**

"Ali, use Peck!"

A blue blur zoomed across the battlefield, its beak surging with white energy before jabbing something in the chest. The victim fell to the ground limply as Lisia cheered for her Pokemon. Ali chirped with a smile as she descended and perched herself on her trainer's shoulder while their opponents - Thomas and Fletchling - strolled over.

"Thanks for training with us, you guys," the bluenette said as she watched her starter shake wings with Fletchling. "But we'll have to work even harder if we want to beat Brawly this time. Right, Ali?" Lisia turned to her Swablu and watched the Flying-type nod several times.

"You bet!" she exclaimed as Grovyle, Slowpoke, and Bell stood by her side. "I won't lose to his Monferno again!"

Thomas raised an eyebrow at the proclamation while Lisia giggled, prompting him to ask, "What Pokemon did he use against you guys?"

There was no answer from the bluenette, just a wink. She then turned her back to Thomas and placed a hand on her Oddish's head with a smile, but not before she put a finger up to her lips and winked. Her male counterpart groaned along with his Pokemon and strolled into the Pokemon Center with both of his hands tucked in the pocket of his hoodie.

"I can tell you he specializes in Fighting-type Pokemon, but that's all I'll say," Lisia said all of a sudden. "He has all different kinds of them too, and they're all extremely powerful."

Fletchling turned and scoffed. "Ain't no way da babbo's _dat_ strong. Besides, we's gots advantages ovuh dem," he added, pointing to both himself and Slowpoke, who nodded.

He was right, he and Slowpoke did have clear advantages over Fighting-type Pokemon. Battles weren't decided on paper, however, and considering the fact that Brawly was a Gym Leader, making any sort of claim about beating him was farfetched.

Lisia knew that better than anyone. After all, Ali and Fletchling had the same two types while Bell resisted any Fighting-type moves. Even though both match-ups were in her favor she still lost, and quite badly at that.

"So, when is your battle with Brawly?" Bell asked.

"Three days," answered Thomas.

Although it seemed like they had a lot of time, Thomas didn't feel the same. Coming up with a strategy would take at least one day, and researching Brawly's Pokemon and his tendencies would be another, leaving them only one more day to train. He sighed at the thought, ignoring each of the confused looks from his Pokemon.

"Have you decided who you're going to use?"

Thomas snapped out of his thoughts and eyed Lisia.

He shook his head, generating a deadpan response from the bluenette while Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke glanced at one another, and then back at Thomas. Unlike the battle against Roxanne, one of them was going to have to sit out of the action. What made their trainer's decision more difficult was that each of the three had a valid reason for being picked. Both Slowpoke and Fletchling had type advantages while Grovyle had just evolved, making her far stronger than she previously was.

The trio of teammates knew that just as well as Thomas, although none of them would harbor ill will if they were held out of the battle. After all, it was bound to happen at some point.

"There are too many variables right now to make a decision," Thomas muttered, his hands buried in the front pocket of his hoodie. "Once I finish researching what Pokemon Brawly has, I'll have a better idea of who's going to battle and who won't."

As their Pokemon ran down the hallway and towards their rooms, Lisia glanced at her Alolan friend and bit her lower lip. He didn't notice and continued his stroll, at least until Lisia cleared her throat and turned to him.

Thomas noticed a change in her demeanor, prompting him to raise an eyebrow and ask, "What?"

Lisia's gaze fell to the floor as she twiddled her thumbs. Then, all of a sudden, she spoke. "About last night... when the report about Ultra Beasts came on..." The bluenette's voice trailed off, and when she lifted her head, she locked eyes with Thomas.

He was as cool and collected as ever... or maybe bored. She could never really tell. Either way, he didn't seem to be bothered by the topic, so she pressed on.

"You looked kinda freaked out."

Silence fell over the trainers for a moment before Thomas motioned for Lisia to continue speaking. He didn't know what she was trying to get it, and she didn't either. Hell, she brought it up just for the sake of bringing it up. Why, exactly? She couldn't say.

With that, Thomas turned and resumed walking to his room, leaving Lisia behind without so much as a word. Upon reaching the end of the hall Thomas glanced at his friend, saying, "It's no big deal. The news just caught me off guard." He then opened the door and disappeared into the room just as an explosion sounded in the distance.

"Da hell was dat?" Fletchling asked as he, Grovyle, and Slowpoke hurried out of the room and inspected the hallway.

Thomas and Lisia looked at each other, nodded, and then headed out of the building and towards a cloud of smoke.

 **000**

Rojo stared out at the sea with wide eyes, her mouth agape as the Pokemon living underwater swam along the boat. The young woman clad in red waved to them along with Scizor despite Azul's intense glare. The elder of the two trainers sighed to herself and turned to her Lucario, who shook her head. The Fighting-type marched her way over to Scizor and put a hand on her shoulder, startling the red creature.

"Would you two cut the shit and get serious? Dewford's only fifteen minutes away, and if we don't capture that Ultra Beast..." Lucario allowed the silence to speak for her, sending chills down Scizor's and Rojo's spines.

"Let's not think about that."

Rojo and both Pokemon eyed Blanco, who leaned against the side of the boat nonchalantly.

"Distraction is the key to failure, so stay focused."

Negro rolled her eyes at the large man but, surprisingly, kept to herself. Even though she did, the others couldn't help but notice how her face was beginning to grow red, as she was suppressing the need to mock him. Why didn't she? Well, that was one of the orders she had been given before going on the mission with her siblings.

The attention then shifted to the looming operation, generating a question from Azul. "So what are the pairs we're going in? I think it'd be a lot better if Negro and I go after the Ultra Beast while you two," she said, pointing at Rojo and Blanco, "go look for the stone."

Each of the three other trainers nodded in agreement just as the boat reached the shore near on Granite Cave's side. They quickly hopped off while withdrawing their Pokemon and began the first phase of their operation, with Rojo and Blanco heading towards Granite Cave and Azul and Negro setting up camp off to the side of the massive landmark.

The two heading inside were immediately greeted by a hiker, whose presence caused Blanco to sweat.

"Hello, sir!" Rojo shouted as she waved like a lunatic. The burly, bearded man rested one of his hands on his gut and let out a hearty laugh as the duo approached him.

"Fancy getup y'all got there. It ain't all that great if yur goin' excavatin', though."

Rojo and Blanco examined each other's outfits before the girl giggled.

"So are y'all superheroes or somethin'?"

"I suppose you could say that," the young girl replied. "My friend and I were actually wondering if you've heard about any rare stones called... I think they were Boom Stones, right?" She turned to her jacked counterpart, who deadpanned almost immediately.

"No, they're called Burst Stones," he said, correcting his partner. Then, turning to the hiker, Blanco asked, "So have you or any of your buddies heard of 'em before?"

The man stroked his beard and looked towards the top of the cave's interior, deep in thought. His eyes flickered all of a sudden and he nodded several times. "Oh yes! Those things are kinda a myth 'round these parts. I ain't heard o' nobody findin' 'em before."

Blanco and Rojo bowed to the man and then ventured into the depths of Granite Cave. The Burst Stone, or whatever it was their boss wanted, had to be real. After all, the hiker said he and his friends heard of it before, so there must've been some truth to it, no matter how great or small. Still, finding the stone was easier said than done. Neither Rojo or Blanco knew what it looked like - their boss didn't help in that matter, since his descriptions were as vague as could be - but failure was not an option, not for them.

As they continued exploring Granite Cave, a buzzer sounded off in the duo's pockets. Both pulled out walkie-talkies and clicked a button on the side of them. A voice emanated from the device right away, saying, "We need backup right now!"

"Azul? What's wrong?" Blanco asked, holding the walkie-talkie inches away from his mouth.

"It's the Ultra Beast! It's too strong!"

Without another word, Rojo bolted towards Granite Cave's entrance, leaving Blanco to continue the search for the Burst Stone.

As soon as she stepped foot outside, Rojo stared at piles of rubble left in place of houses. People ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, screaming about a monster as they headed for safety. The majority took shelter in the Gym while the rest had to pack into the Pokemon Center.

The only people who weren't running away were Azul and Negro. Both had their Pokemon combatting some sort of bipedal cockroach, which rested one of its hands on its hip. A disinterested look occupied its face while eyeing Lucario and Houndoom. Despite having Mega Evolved, both Pokemon were in terrible condition unlike the Ultra Beast, who appeared to be unharmed.

Rojo approached the girls - Poke Ball in-hand - and analyzed her opponent. There wasn't a scratch on the Ultra Beast, nor did it look winded. She continued to look over the creature even as Azul and Negro turned to her and scowled, the latter screaming, "Where the hell is Blanco?!"

Azul echoed the question, but was ignored by her red-clad counterpart, who stepped forward and stared down their target.

"Scizor, we need your help!"

After Rojo threw the Poke Ball, she watched her trusty partner materialize from the plasma. When she did, Scizor glared at the cockroach before her and snapped her claws. The Ultra Beast's bored expression vanished in an instant, a smile replacing it.

"Use Bullet Pu-"

Scizor was suddenly thrown by Rojo, leaving her speechless. The Ultra Beast stood in Scizor's place with its right fist glowing light green. Its intrigued expression had gone by the wayside, being replaced by one of disappointment in a flash. Rojo then rushed over to her friend's side and gasped when she saw Scizor's eyes were shut. Before she could do anything else, the young girl felt a hand clamp around her neck and lift her off the ground.

It stared at the visor covering Rojo's eyes, ignoring Azul and Negro as they ran with their Pokemon. Rojo spotted them out of the corner of her eye while kicking her legs and gasping for air.

 _Please, come back_ she thought as her partners fled the scene without a second thought. _Don't... leave me._

The grip around her neck became tighter, making it even harder to breathe. Everything in Rojo's field of vision grew blurrier with each passing second, and the frequency of her legs kicking slowed dramatically.

This was the end.

"Grovyle, use Bullet Seed!"

"Ali, Peck!"

Rojo's eyes shot wide open as a Swablu jabbed the Ultra Beast in the arm with its beak, allowing her to escape and withdraw Scizor. She watched a flurry of solar bullets follow, and two trainers ran towards her. Their Grovyle and Swablu stared the Ultra Beast down, acting as a wall of sorts.

"Are you okay?" Lisia inquired, offering a hand to the jumpsuit-wearing girl. Rojo took the bluenette's hand and rose to her feet slowly. She looked around in confusion, almost as if she was unaware of what had just happened.

Thomas glanced at the girl and hid a scowl. _She's dressed just like those two that tried stealing Ali. Does she know them?_

He turned his attention back to the Ultra Beast, who rested one of its hands on its hip and yawned. Grovyle and Ali hardened their glares while standing their ground, but then it happened. In the blink of an eye, the Ultra Beast got by them and threw a fist at Thomas. Everything around the Alolan stopped as soon as he blinked.

 _Years earlier..._

 _Thomas felt sweat rolling down his forehead as he ran down a dark hallway. The sound of crackling entered his ears, and he wiped his brow as the temperature spiked. Illuminating the darkness was a bright orange light at the end of the hallway, and upon reaching it, his eyes went wide. Fire danced around, swallowing everything it could and growing rapidly. Thomas turned, tripped over his feet, and scurried back down the hallway. Before he knew it, the other end was consumed in flames - he was trapped, and there was nothing he could do to escape._

 _("Dark Music - Nocturnus" begins to play)_

 _Suddenly, he found himself laying face down on the ground outside. Thomas then looked up, and his eyes went wide. In place of his home was a pile of ashes, as was the case with every other house in sight. Those gathered outside screamed, tears rolling down their eyes. Everything they had was gone - their homes, possessions, and memories - and there nothing thing they could do about it._

 _The culprit stood on the platform in the middle of Iki Town, marveling at the chaos they had caused. They examined each and every one of the crying faces with a blank expression, almost as if the reactions were baffling. Thomas picked himself up off the ground with his tiny legs and backed away from the monster, which was surrounded by dead Pokemon left and right. Blood stained the famous Iki Town stage, and it'd remain that way for as long as the monster was there._

 _Once the culprit was done surveying the area for prospective opponents, they rushed forward at the speed of light and delivered fatal blows to the townspeople. Cries of anguish followed the impact of each strike, leaving Thomas frozen in fear. One by one people he had known his whole life were cut down without hesitation. The sound of their screams was unrelenting and burrowed into his ears, bringing tears to the young boy's eyes._

 _"Why?" he whispered as the attacker picked up an elderly couple and ripped out their throats. "Why are you doing this?"_

 _The figure turned and locked its sights on him immediately, causing the Alolan's heart to stop. They stared each other down for what Thomas felt was eons, at least until the creature bolted towards him. "WHY?!"_

 _"Razor Shell!"_

 _Just as the assailant was about to strike Thomas, a blue creature intercepted its attack with a blade of water. It then created another blade with its other hand and dealt a wicked blow to the buff mosquito - the same one that had killed just about everyone in Iki Town._

 _A person proceeded to step in front of Thomas, and then everything went black._

"Ice Punch!"

Just as the cockroach was about to strike him, Thomas watched a blue figure appear right in front of him and deliver a fearsome uppercut. The Ultra Beast flew about thirty feet back and hit the sand hard, snapping Thomas out of his trance. Lisia, Grovyle, and Ali gasped in unison before checking on the Alolan, ignoring the newcomer's presence, at least until another Pokemon appeared by its side.

The one that arrived first was a bipedal frog with blue skin and a tongue that was wrapped around its neck like a scarf. Beside it was a winged lizard that had a flame burning on the end of its tail. Anyone could've recognized the Pokemon as Greninja and Charizard - two of the most popular creatures in the world - but Thomas still stared at them as if he couldn't tell what they were.

Lisia shared the same reaction as her friend, presenting Rojo with the opportunity to flee the scene. She did, but two other people joined the rookies. They - a man and woman - both looked to be in their early twenties, yet they exuded a sense of confidence that made them seem forty years older.

Adjusting the black and blue baseball cap on his head, the man glanced over his shoulder and grinned at both Thomas and Lisia. "Good thing we got here when we did," he said. "You guys okay?"

Lisia nodded right away while Thomas blinked, his mind replaying what had just happened. The young woman and her Charizard examined Thomas for a moment and shot a look towards their friend, who nodded silently and took a step forward with his Greninja, both cracking their knuckles.

"What's your friend's name?" the blonde asked Lisia.

"Thomas."

The aforementioned trainer continued to stare at the ground until he felt someone tap his shoulder several times, prompting him to lift his head. He immediately locked eyes with the older girl, who was smiling, and then shifted his focus to the young man and his Greninja, both of whom were in a stand-off with the Ultra Beast.

"Hey, Thomas. Are you okay?"

"Who are you?" he asked, ignoring the blonde's question completely.

She laughed along with her Charizard before answering, "My name's Molly. And that's Tyson." Molly pointed towards her male counterpart, who waved after somehow hearing his name.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. Molly and Tyson? The names sounded familiar, very familiar. But where exactly had he heard them?

"Molls!"

Upon hearing her nickname, the blonde turned to Tyson - who was giving her a thumbs up - and waited for him to continue speaking.

"You guys _might_ want to take a few steps back. This could get a little out of hand."

Molly sweat-dropped but ultimately heeded Tyson's warning as she and Charizard guided Tom, Lisia, Grovyle, and Ali away, saying, "Remember, Pheromosa's speed and attack are extremely high. If you land a hit, it should go down pretty easily."

 _Pheromosa? What the hell is that?_ Thomas thought.

"So that's what this Ultra Beast is capable of, eh?" Tyson asked aloud to no one in particular. The question drew a nod from Greninja even though the Water type knew it was rhetorical. "Perfect!"

Thomas and Grovyle jumped at the sudden exclamation and watched the elder trainer crack his knuckles and neck. The Ultra Beast narrowed its gaze and continued to stare at Tyson and Greninja, the former of whom had a smile stretched across his face.

"Once we take what's-its-face out, Owen'll have to battle us!"

Greninja turned to his trainer and deadpanned at the idiotic logic, but went along with it nonetheless.

"Does he really think he can beat that thing?" Lisia asked aloud, drawing an emphatic nod from Molly, who kept her eyes on her friend. Lisia and Ali recoiled at the response but kept to themselves and watched Tyson intently.

("Roar of the Universe" begins to play)

"Greninja, there's no holding back! Charge and use Ice Punch!"

Grunting in response, the ninja frog took off at mach speed, kicking up a cloud of sand so large it made Thomas scream. Even the Ultra Beast seemed to be caught by surprise, as Greninja's ice-covered fist connected with its face. Pheromosa tumbled backwards through the sand and crashed into a rock, which shattered into a million pieces almost immediately.

Tyson pumped his fist and gave a cheer while Lisia's jaw hit the ground.

"SA!"

The cheering ceased in a nanosecond, as Pheromosa appeared an inch away from Greninja. She then hurled her knee - which was surging with crimson energy - into Greninja's chest without hesitation and swung upwards, launching him into another stratosphere. Unlike the spectators, Tyson kept his cool and even flashed a smirk despite his Pokemon floundering through the air.

"Use Double Team and then throw yourself at her!"

Greninja slammed his hands together, creating two clones from thin air, both of which grabbed - and threw - him by an arm.

"Now strike with Acrobatics!"

The Water-type's fists turned bright blue, as did his feet, and he swung at Pheromosa with all his might. Much to his and Tyson's dismay, the cockroach sidestepped out of the way of the wicked attack. Greninja's momentum caused him to fall forwards, but he responded by placing both of his hands on the ground and swinging his right leg. Right before his foot could connect with Pheromosa's head, the Bug-type disappeared in the blink of an eye, eliciting gasps from everyone present.

Then, less than a second later, she reappeared by Tyson's side and surged forward as her right fist turned bright green. Greninja had no time to react, resulting in a devastating uppercut that, like the knee he took to the gut, sent him flying. This time, Tyson brought a hand up to his head and cussed while he watched Greninja smack against the sand. A cloud of it shot up and covered both Pokemon and trainer, temporarily blinding Pheromosa.

 _That's it!_ the Kalosian screamed mentally as his starter rose to his feet.

"Greninja, use Double Team again! Then kick up the sand around Pheromosa!"

Following his commands to a T, the bipedal frog rushed forward and clapped his hands, once again creating several clones of himself. Greninja then dropped back, opting to let the others get within range of an attack, but Pheromosa saw right through it. She sprinted at light speed, ignoring the sand and baffling everyone at the same time, before uncorking a right hook the likes of which would put any professional boxer to shame.

The clones of Greninja could only turn and watch in horror as their creator was punched in the gut, generating a sinister smirk from Pheromosa. Everyone else, meanwhile, brought their hands to their faces and gasped. Molly and Charizard glanced at each other, both unable to move until they heard a laugh. It was Greninja, and he was staring Pheromosa right in the eyes.

"NOW!" he screamed before turning into a cloud of smoke, catching his opponent and the spectators by surprise. Tyson, on the other hand, flashed a toothy grin and threw his right fist forwards emphatically.

Suddenly, one of the Greninja clones dashed to Pheromosa's side and kicked sand into her eyes while another performed a sweep kick, taking her legs out from underneath her.

"Finish this with Aerial Ace, right here; right now!"

In the blink of an eye Greninja jumped as high as he could with his right leg glowing light blue, and he spun like a wheel. Pheromosa struggled to her feet, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to clear them of the sand, but by the time she did it was too late. Greninja let out a mighty roar as his heel slammed against the top of her head, spiking the Ultra Beast into the ground face first with such force the sand caved in several feet.

(Music ends)

"Ho-ly shit." Thomas blinked once and stared at the crater before shifting his attention to Greninja. He returned to Tyson's side so casually, it was almost as if he was used to doing that sort of thing. "That's... I don't even know what to say."

Charizard chuckled at the rookie's words, nodding several times as he folded his arms over his chest. "Greninja's something. That's the only description I can think of - he's something."

Thomas and Grovyle kept still and continued to watch the Kalosian Pokemon as he and his trainer strolled over to Molly, at least until something shot out of the crater. Everyone watched Pheromosa land on the ground right beside the hole she had been at the bottom of, generating terrified responses from everyone not named Tyson or Greninja.

The cockroach didn't have so much as a scratch on her body, even after the hit she took from Greninja. Thomas, Grovyle, Ali, and Lisia backpedaled away from the Ultra Beast while Molly and Charizard focused on their friends. Tyson let out a stream of laughter - the kind that reeked of excitement - which made Pheromosa tilt her head.

Why was the human laughing? And what was with the look in the frog's eyes? Whatever it was, her interest was piqued, to say the least.

"I think it's about time we show 'em just what we're capable of, Greninja."

The aforementioned Pokemon peeked over his shoulder and flashed a thumbs up. As soon as he did so, Molly hurried to Tyson's side and tapped his shoulder, whispering, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Whaddya think? We're pulling out all the stops!"

Molly's eyes widened as Greninja planted his feet and began a deep-breathing exercise, ignoring the shocked look on her face as well as the one on Charizard's. Tyson did the same as his Pokemon, angering his blonde companion, who tapped him on the shoulder once again, although it was much more forceful than the previous time.

"Hey! Don't you think that's overkill? You guys don't have to-"

"Yeah we do," Greninja and Tyson answered at the same time, matter-of-factly. "Now if you'd please back up," they continued in unison, drawing a pair of glances from Tom and Grovyle, "that'd be great."

The blonde shook her head and muttered something under her breath before obliging. Once she standing with Lisia and Thomas, they turned to her with the former inquiring, "What're they planning on doing? Is it dangerous?"

Molly's blue eyes locked onto Lisia in an instant. "Not for them, but it is for all of us."

Thomas shifted his focus away from Molly and to the young man and his Pokemon, both of whom were doing some sort of deep-breathing routine. Oddly enough, Pheromosa didn't move a muscle. Was it because she was just as curious to find out what Tyson had up his sleeve? Or maybe she just wanted to drag the fight out as long as she could before putting an end to it.

"Excuse me, Molly?" Grovyle called, drawing Molly's and Charizard's attention. Thomas also eyed his starter but kept quiet as she spoke. "What exactly are they about to do? If it's so dangerous, shouldn't we get away?"

She had a point. If what Molly had said was true - it being more dangerous for the group to be around Tyson - then why hadn't she demanded that everyone get away? The young woman seemed to acknowledge her flawed logic when she nodded, but her response came in a flash.

"They'll put an end to the battle before it can get out of hand, believe me."

All Thomas and Grovyle could do was take their elder's word while she monitored Tyson and Greninja's movements, which were identical. Suddenly, the two clapped their hands together while their elbows pointed out to the sides, causing Pheromosa to raise an eyebrow.

"Accel Synchro, let's rev it up!"

("Ultimate Power" begins to play)

In the blink of an eye, Greninja was swallowed whole by a geyser of water. It dispersed just as quickly, however, and Greninja's appearance began to change dramatically. The water surrounding his body began to look like a shark, as a snout extended beyond Greninja's mouth and several spiked teeth made of ice emerged from it. In addition to that, he became much more muscular and grew a pair of fins on his forearms and legs, and a large X materialized on his chest.

The wind whipped at gale force levels, knocking Thomas and Grovyle onto their backs while Molly, Lisia, Charizard, and Ali barely managed to keep their footing. Pheromosa, just like the rookie trainer, ended up on her back and, after lifting her head, stared at the monster before her.

There was something about the look in Greninja's eyes that had changed, and the air-pressure was much more intense than it had been earlier. The Kalosian Pokemon and his trainer didn't seem to be aware of such a change, but it was abundantly clear to everyone else that Greninja was the source of it. How? Nobody knew. But one thing was for sure: he wasn't the same Pokemon as before.

"Let's finish this in one blow, Greninja," Tyson said, eliciting a grunt from his trusty partner. "Night Sla-!"

Before Tyson could even finish saying the attack Greninja had already reached Pheromosa with a black blade of energy in his hand. In one swift motion, he slashed the cockroach's chest horizontally, throwing her into the front of Granite Cave. The impact was so great the rock exterior cracked almost instantly, generating a slew of gasps from Thomas, Grovyle, Lisia and Ali.

"So that's the famous Accel Synchro," Lisia mused as Greninja returned to Tyson's side. Thomas stared at Pheromosa, who was unconscious and seemingly glued to Granite Cave's exterior, while Molly clapped her hands together and beamed.

"That's right!" she exclaimed, turning to the bluenette. "Once Tyson and Greninja use it, their opponent's chances of winning go right out the window."

The aforementioned duo fist bumped as Greninja reverted back to his normal form, and then they made their way towards the group.

"Uh, Tyson?" Molly called. "Aren't you going to catch it?" She pointed at Pheromosa, or at least where it had been. Everyone deadpanned immediately while Tyson sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and laughed.

"Whoops. I kinda forgot the Beast Balls, so it's not like I could've gotten it anyways."

Greninja stared at his trainer, unable to say anything in response to the sheer stupidity. Tyson continued laughing while Molly stared at the ground, muttering something about how her dad was going to kill her, while Thomas and Lisia exchanged glances. How the hell did Tyson and Greninja just defeat an Ultra Beast?

* * *

 **Well I finally got around to writing this. Anyhow, the crisis with Pheromosa was avoided... for now, at least. So Thomas and Lisia attempted to save Rojo from Pheromosa but they failed miserably. However, Tyson and Molly entered the fray and the former managed to defeat the UB, only for her to get away! Next chapter will take a lighthearted turn - and is kind of filler-ish - that'll focus on Slowpoke hitting her head and becoming the complete opposite of her usual self.** **Till next time, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Head Over Heels"**_

 _ **While tuning up for the battle with Brawly, Slowpoke takes a tumble and hits her head. After she regains consciousness, everything about her is the opposite, the most problematic issue being her undying love for Fletchling! Can the gang turn Slowpoke back to her old self, or will she be stuck like this forever?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 16: Head Over Heels  
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl  
** **Chapter 18: Ghost Ship Gaffe  
 **Chapter 19:** Trickhouse Trials  
** **Chapter 20: Angel or Demon?  
Chapter 21: The Color Crew Assembles** **  
** **Chapter 22: Regaining Rhythm  
** **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough** **  
** **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives** **  
Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	16. Head Over Heels

**What? An update from me? That's right, folks, I'm alive. A lot of personal matters came up over the past month, but now that they're behind me, I should be back for a while! Last chapter, the Color Crew attempted (and failed) to catch Pheromosa, and Thomas and Lisia saved Rojo before she could be done in by the UB. Lucky for them, Tyson and Molly arrived and (Tyson) defeated Pheromosa! This chapter is, to be honest, just filler, so if you skip ahead, you're really not missing much. Now let's get going!**

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Lol. I originally had it being a struggle for Tyson, but if that was the case, there wouldn't have been any chance of Thomas defeating an Ultra Beast in the future. Y'all should get to see Molly battle in the distant future - she's very, very powerful, but Tyson's a great deal stronger than her. As for Owen, I don't think he'll battle, though who knows? Maybe I could have a chapter with him and Tyson duking it out. Rojo will also get a lot more attention than the other members of the Color Crew, at least for the time being. Once Verde's in the mix... well, let's just leave it at that :P_

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _It was about time an update happened xD Thanks! Pheromosa's terrifying, no doubt, and Tyson's broken-ness is kind of like Owen's, if I think about it. Maybe there's a connection between the two? I wonder. The Color Crew's plan, as you mentioned, involves the Burst Stones and Ultra Beasts - a deadly combination, if you ask me - and while I'm not looking forward to them achieving their goal, I am at the same time (wow, we have so much in common xD)_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _No worries, my good man. Accel Synchro may seem unstoppable, but it has its downsides. Having Tyson and Owen battle is in my mind, based on a few of you bringing it up, and while it may not fit into the story, I could make it an epilogue chapter. In regards to your prediction... yeah, that's the plan xD However, the CC won't be the only ones to wield Burst. This chapter, while filler-ish, is one I've been looking forward to for a while. Fletchling and Slowpoke being the stars makes it all the more enjoyable for me, and hopefully Fletchy boy can solve the problem_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Tolly tho. I couldn't tell, but thanks for clarifying xD Rojo may seem a bit ticked off, but there could be something that eases the frustration. To say she isn't valued by the rest of the CC (or at least Azul and Negro) would be an understatement, although that could change after the leader says something. And while Accel Synchro may seem unbeatable at the moment, it has a huge downfall to it that wasn't revealed. When will it be, if ever? No clue. They are in Hoenn almost entirely because of the Ultra Beasts' presence, but the other reason hasn't been announced, nor will it be for quite a while. The enemies will be monstrous near the end of the story - bordering onto Tyson's level, no doubt - but I don't think Tommy will ever reach their level_

 **3-E Student:** _Yessir. It was originally supposed to be in Blaze Falcon's story, but because he decided to write a new one, no one got to see it. So yeah, Accel Synchro is like a step above The Bond Phenomenon. And there will be more bits of Thomas' past coming up in Mauville's set of chapters, as well more of an explanation about the Ultra Beasts popping up across the globe rather than just Alola (which is a terrifying thought, as you mentioned)_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 16, Pound, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain, Double Team*, Double Kick*** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

"I still don't understand how you managed to forget the Beast Balls. I mean, seriously, that was the only thing you had to remember!"

Molly stomped from one side of the room to the other as Tyson and Greninja leaned against a wall quietly. Neither dared to speak, knowing the consequences of doing so outweighed any potential benefit.

"Damn. When I have to tell my dad about this, he's going to kill me," she muttered. Before her friend could respond, she turned and glared at him. "And just think about what you're in for. You're way worse off than I am."

Tyson flinched while Greninja, who had his arms folded over his chest, rolled his eyes. Molly ignored the reaction and went back to pacing. Sure, Owen would be happy to hear about how Tyson managed to defeat Pheromosa, but the fact that he did so and forgot about bringing the device to capture it? Well, suffice to say Owen wouldn't be too happy about that.

"Why don't you call your mom? She could tell Owen and there's no way he'd get mad at her!"

All it took for Tyson to shut up was one glance from Molly.

"If you think Owen would be mad, don't call Brooklyn," Samurott advised, drawing the attention of everyone. Molly nodded in agreement with her longtime friend before plopping down on one of the two beds in the room, burying her face in her hands shortly afterwards.

How could she get out of this situation without facing her father? Surely there had to be some excuse that'd work. She'd come up with a million of them when she first traveled across in Kalos, so why couldn't she come up with one at a time like this?

Tyson eyed his friend for a moment before eventually standing upright. He stared out the window for a moment, thinking, _I got her into this mess, and I'll get her out of it_. Tyson walked out of the room as Molly continued mumbling to herself, seemingly unaware of his or Greninja's departure.

 **000**

Thomas watched from afar as sand shot into the air and a loud thud echoed, drawing the attention of nearly everyone at the beach. He ignored their staring and continued to lay down while Fletchling and Slowpoke charged at Grovyle, firing attacks off left and right. The Grass-type avoided each and every one of them through backflips and cartwheels, generating applause from Lisia, Ali, and Bell.

Grovyle continued evading the attacks with a grin while her teammates scowled and picked up the pace. Fletchling began to use Quick Attack while Slowpoke fired multiple Water Gun attacks without taking a break. Despite the increased frequency, Grovyle still dodged everything before launching a counterattack. She ducked under Fletchling a second before he could strike and then grabbed him by the leg. Using her own Quick Attack, Grovyle reached Slowpoke's side in the blink of an eye and tapped the back of her head, prompting Thomas to rise from his chair and raise his hands.

"All right, that's enough."

The three Pokemon turned to their trainer and stood in a line. Lisia and her Pokemon followed Thomas as he approached his team, his hands in his pockets, as he said, "Nice job, Grovyle."

The aforementioned creature bowed while Lisia, Ali, and Bell added, "Yeah, you were great!"

Thomas nodded in agreement with the exclamation and then shifted his attention to his two other Pokemon, both of whom were too busy glaring at each other to notice him.

"Fletchling and Slowpoke, you two need to coordinate your attacks more effectively."

"Easier said than done when your partner has the IQ of a rock!" Slowpoke retorted. Fletchling pressed his head up against hers and snarled, causing Thomas to sigh while Grovyle, on the other hand, stepped in-between her teammates. That didn't stop them from arguing, however.

Fletchling slapped Grovyle's hand away and glared at Slowpoke, shouting, "Oh yeah? And if you wasn't such a fat tub'a shit, den we could'a won, too!"

"It's almost like those two enjoy fighting," Ali muttered as Grovyle continued to keep her friends from attacking each other. Bell and Thomas nodded, but the latter stopped when Lisia turned to him and pointed.

"Shouldn't you try stopping them?"

Thomas blinked once and then shrugged, causing the bluenette to deadpan. "It's not like that'll do anything, so why should I?" The seventeen-year-old sat back down in his folding chair with a yawn and watched his bickering Pokemon for a moment before scribbling something down in a notebook.

Lisia looked back and forth between Thomas and his team, ultimately sighing and sitting down next to him. Ali and Bell copied their trainer and watched Grovyle hold both parties back for a few moments. Before she knew it, the Grass-type was unable to contain her friends and they were at each other's necks, tumbling around the sand and trading blows.

"Would you two stop?! Seriously, we need to keep training for our Gym Battle!" Grovyle ran after the pair and grabbed them both by their tails. Then, she threw them away from each other.

Thomas raised an eyebrow as he stared at his starter, who stood upright and exhaled. Fletchling and Slowpoke rolled along the sand, the former coming to a halt while the Water-type slammed her head against a rock.

 _THUD!_

Everyone flinched - Fletchling included - from the sound of impact before hurrying to Slowpoke's side. Her eyes were shut and a stupid grin, one that could only be caused by unconsciousness, was plastered on her face. Thomas squatted next to his Pokemon and attempted to shake her awake, only to fail.

"We have to take her to the Pokemon Center, and quick."

Hours after taking Slowpoke to Nurse Joy and getting her treated, Thomas was called to the pinkette's desk. Resting on it was Slowpoke's Poke Ball, which the trainer took without prompting.

"Thank you for the help, ma'am. Is she going to be okay?"

Nurse Joy gave a thumbs up and smiled. "She's all good to go, though I must advise you to be more careful next time. If she hit her head just a bit harder, there would've been some serious brain damage."

Thomas flinched but bowed right afterwards. With that, he headed to the back of the Pokemon Center, where Lisia and the Pokemon were waiting. Several others were outside as well, huddling around the battlefield while two trainers were having a battle.

From the sound of it, the two sides were down to their final combatants, or at least that's what it seemed like to Thomas. Instead of joining the crowd, he sat off to the side with his friend and tightened his grip on Slowpoke's Poke Ball. Grovyle and Fletchling hurried to their trainer's side and eyed the device intently, though the former didn't say a word. What kept her from doing so, she didn't know.

"Ay, Boss!" Fletchling puffed out his chest and smiled at the Alolan, whose eyes slowly drifted from the Poke Ball. "How's da broad doin'?"

"Is that how you address every girl?" Ali asked with a scowl. Fletchling nodded emphatically, eliciting a sigh of disgust from his fellow Flying-type. "Anyhow, is Slowpoke okay? That was quite a hit to the head." Ali waited for a response, but never received one. Thomas was still zoned out, focusing on the air around him rather than everyone else. Then, all of a sudden, he pointed at the battlefield - rather, the crowd - and spoke once all eyes were looking in that direction.

With a sigh, the teen mumbled, "They're all going to cheer in five seconds."

Lisia glanced back at her friend and titled her head. Much to her surprise, a wave of applause just like Thomas had predicted. She turned back to him in an instant and put her elbows on the table while leaning forward. "What's so important about that?"

The Alolan shrugged, causing Lisia, her Pokemon, and Grovyle to sweat-drop.

"Slowpoke's fine, according to Nurse Joy. She said if the impact had been a bit harder, there would've been brain damage. But everything's fine."

All of the girls gasped while Fletchling rolled his eyes, putting him at the center of attention - the kind of attention no one wanted. Similar to an angry mob, the girls began to scream at the Flying-type about how insensitive he was, although the shouting didn't seem to affect him in any way.

"How could you be such a jerk at a time like this? It's your fault that she almost-" Ali stopped talking as soon as Fletchling smirked and pounded his chest with his wing.

"Slowpoke's tough. I wasn't wurried in da least bit, and none ah youse should'a been neitha."

Lisia, Ali, and Bell blankly stared at the robin as he let out a hearty laugh. Then, jumping onto the table his trainer and the bluenette were sitting at, Fletchling opened Slowpoke's Poke Ball before returning to the ground. The plasma from the capsule quickly took Slowpoke's shape, and soon enough, the Water-type opened her eyes. The first things she saw were Grovyle and Fletchling smiling, and Thomas leaning back in his chair with his arms folded behind his head.

Slowpoke blinked once and rubbed her eyes with her tail, taking in the sight of her teammates and trainer. Then, all of a sudden, she tackled Fletchling and rubbed her face up against his repeatedly. Everyone jumped back and gasped as the Water-type continued, though she stopped once Fletchling managed to kick her off.

"Da hell was dat, ya freak?!"

"Hehehehe," giggled Slowpoke as she turned away from the robin and towards Grovyle. Her soft expression was replaced with a scowl and she snarled. "What've you been up to? Trying to steal my Fletchy's heart?!"

Thomas and Lisia deadpanned.

"And what about you two?! I see the way you're staring at him all the time!" Ali and Bell tilted their heads in unison, but that didn't stop Slowpoke from marching their way and leaning forward. A mere inch separated her face from that of the others', prompting the trainers - who had been bystanders - to step in and attempt to defuse the situation.

Thomas quickly grabbed Slowpoke and pulled her back as Lisia withdrew Bell and put Ali on her shoulder. Despite the Alolan's best efforts, Slowpoke escaped his grasp and bolted towards Ali, screaming, "I'm going to kill you, Bird!" A moment after the quadruped jumped, she slammed into the ground face-first. Grovyle, whose feet were glowing light blue, stood over her injured teammate and let out a sigh.

Thomas zapped the Water-type back into her Poke Ball before she could get up and attack. Everyone stood motionlessly, trying to comprehend what exactly had just happened. All of a sudden, Fletchling perched himself on Thomas' shoulder, ignoring his trainer's glare, and muttered, "Da hell just happened?"

No one had an answer for the robin, but Thomas thought of one.

 _The way Slowpoke just acted was... weird. What was with her infatuation with Fletchling, and attacking Lisia's Pokemon? The only one I've seen her fight with is Fletchling._

"Thomas?" The brunette looked up from the ground to see Lisia with her hand on his shoulder. "Okay, good. You're still alive," she said with a cheeky grin. "So what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing important." He paused and looked at the Pokemon Center for a moment. "I think we're going to do some last-second training at the beach and then call it a night."

Both Fletchling and Grovyle followed Thomas after bidding Lisia and Ali farewell, neither Pokemon knowing what their trainer had in mind.

 **000**

"Aww yeah, let's get ta da last minute trainin', Boss!" Fletchling roared as soon as his feet hit the sand of the beach. "You bettuh keep up wit me, Dollface, cuz I ain't slowin' down fuh nutin'!"

Thomas slapped the Flying-type upside the head and shushed him. Fletchling locked eyes with the young man until Thomas waved his arm, pointing out all of the people relaxing underneath the night sky. Even so, that didn't stop the Kalosian Pokemon from pouting.

"So whatcha got planned anyways, Boss? Ya left dat broad at da Pokuhmon Centuh witout sayin' what we's gonna do."

It took Thomas every last bit of strength within himself to refrain from rolling his eyes, though the pained expression on his face wasn't exactly the look he was hoping for. One concerned look from Grovyle brought that to the seventeen-year-old's attention, so he sat down on the sand and pulled out Slowpoke's Poke Ball.

Fletchling jumped the moment he saw it, but his nerves were soothed when Thomas raised his other hand.

"You're worried about Slowpoke."

The two males turned to Grovyle, who had her arms folded over her chest and kicked at the sand beneath her feet. A small smile formed on Thomas' face, but it vanished with a nod. Fletchling glanced back and forth between the two, analyzing their body language. Whether it was consciously or not, Thomas and Grovyle were mirroring each other.

Fletchling wasn't the only one to notice that, as a young man and his Greninja paced along the sand. They had stopped the moment Fletchling had screamed about training, and because of the serene atmosphere, both were able to hear what Grovyle said. The trainer, after taking a step towards Thomas, turned to his partner and waved for him to join. The bipedal frog glanced away for a moment, muttering something under his breath before joining his friend.

"What if she keeps acting like the way she did tonight?"

Thomas eyed his Pokemon, both of whom shrugged in response. For what felt like the thousandth time that day, the rookie trainer groaned and rested his face in his hands. Slowpoke's constant fighting was bad enough, but her sudden urge to murder every female was, obviously, worse. As he racked his brain for an answer, Thomas started to grind his teeth after each second. Nothing was coming to him except for one thing: he had to release Slowpoke.

"Hey there. Everything all right?"

The Alolan lifted his head up and locked eyes with a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. Both trainers recoiled at the sight of each other, as memories of their encounter earlier in the day rushed to their minds. Tyson nearly fell on his backside, but Greninja managed to grab the sleeve of his jacket and save his trainer from embarrassment.

"You're the guy the Ultra Beast almost killed, right? I'm pretty sure that's when I met you," the Kalosian asked while Thomas stood up.

The younger of the two froze, unable to even say a word. Tyson leaned forward and waved his hand in front of Thomas' face, causing the latter to snap out of his trance.

"Uh... yeah, I am."

Tyson punched his fist into the air and exclaimed, "I knew it!" Upon noticing the deadpan expressions from Thomas and his Pokemon, Tyson rubbed the back of his neck and added, "Sorry. I'm not all that great with names. Anyways, I'm Tyson Pernell, and this is my buddy, Greninja!"

Greninja nodded at Thomas, prompting the Alolan to do the same. Right before Thomas was about to introduce himself, he flinched and stared at Tyson.

"You're... you're actually him?" he quizzed as images of Tyson from _'Revolutionary Trainers and their Pokemon'_ came to mind.

A quick nod and toothy grin from the young man all but confirmed it. Thomas shook his head, erasing every fanboy-like question in exchange for a greeting.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Thomas Brooks, and these two are Grovyle and Fletchling." Thomas pointed at the aforementioned Pokemon while saying their names, and they nodded to confirm their identities just like Tyson had.

"Now that formalities are out of the way..." Tyson muttered quite loudly, "what's got you feeling so down in the dumps?"

Thomas slowly reached for Slowpoke's Poke Ball and showed it to the elder trainer, who examined it closely.

"My Slowpoke hit her head and is acting really different, and I don't know what to do abou-"

"Really? That's it?"

Tyson rested his hands on his hips and chuckled along with Greninja, drawing a trio of intense stares from the rookie and his partners. The elder duo exchanged nods and Tyson extended his hand.

"Let me see that real quick, if you don't mind."

Grovyle, Thomas, and even Fletchling glanced at the Poke Ball and each other before ultimately handing it over to Tyson. The powerful trainer released Slowpoke from it, and as soon as she materialized from the plasma, Greninja slammed his fist over her head, knocking her out cold. Grovyle charged at him, but before she could strike Tyson, he gave Slowpoke a Revive.

"There ya go," he stated, flashing the same toothy grin as before. "Take her to the Pokemon Center, and she should be back to her normal self when she wakes up."

With that, Tyson and Greninja walked away, leaving Thomas and his Pokemon at a complete loss for words.

* * *

 **Well, I'm finally back. Although the ending was abrupt, I feel like adding anything more would be unnecessary. In case anyone brings this up: I know Tyson didn't find a way to help Molly out, which is why they'll be getting some more "screen time" in the next chapter! I don't have much else to say, other than I should be updating pretty frequently now, so while this chapter may have been "off" I should get back into the flow of things pretty soon.  
Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. Which two Pokemon should Thomas use against Brawly?  
**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Beachside Brawl"**_

 _ **Thomas and Brawly battle in a cave that constantly floods, with neither pulling any punches! Because of that, both sides are pushed to their physical, mental, and emotional limits. Will Thomas be able to overcome these trials and earn his second badge?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 18: Ghost Ship Gaffe  
 **Chapter 19:** Trickhouse Trials  
** **Chapter 20: Angel or Demon?  
Chapter 21: The Color Crew Assembles** **  
** **Chapter 22: Regaining Rhythm  
** **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough** **  
** **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives** **  
Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	17. Beachside Brawl

**Salutations, dear readers. I come bearing an update that will hopefully make up for the previous one. This chapter is Thomas' Gym Battle against Brawly, which will not only test his team, but Thomas as well. Not much else to say, so let's get going!**

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Honestly, I don't really know what I wrote xD The first few scenes (Tyson's and when Slowpoke hit her head) were done several weeks ago, so it was difficult trying to maintain any sense of continuity. I did enjoy writing it since it had absolutely no impact on the plot, which is also good since I haven't written in a while. Thanks for the kind words! I'm going over my planning for the story and fine-tuning parts, so at least there was some benefit to me dying for a month, haha. Gym Battle hype!_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Thanks! It's great to be back. Tyson's colossal failure is sure to anger Owen, and you're right about Thomas and Grovyle becoming similar (which will be the case in the future). However, she won't be the only one to share some traits with Thomas. As for Slowpoke, I was really tempted to make her stay like that for a little while, but it would've complicated a lot of things. Also, good picks!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Haha, indeed I am. You're partially right about Accel Synchro's downside, though there's a bit more too it than your predictions. The Tyson and Molly dynamic is something I really enjoy writing, for whatever reason, and it seems like the combo of Grovyle and Fletchling is the popular choice for this battle, probably because of the reasons you provided for picking them_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Good to finally update! And hey, I'm too flattered by being called an inspiration to care about your "selfishness" xD I agree that last chapter didn't need to be a showstopper, but I really dropped the ball with what could've been an interesting plot. Also, I'm glad you brought up the stress Tyson and Molly have to deal with. It could make for some interesting dynamics later on, although they won't be the only ones under pressure since Sinnoh and Hoenn are sending their best trainers to help. As for your picks for the battle, I'm surprised nobody picked Slowpoke. But then when I read why everyone thinks it'll be Fletchling and Grovyle, it makes a lot of sense_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 16, Pound, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain, Double Team*, Double Kick*  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

Thomas glanced up from his Pokedex to examine Dewford Gym's exterior. Waves were painted on the sides of it while surfboards and fists were scattered across the front, giving challenger's hints about Brawly's hobbies and the type he specialized in. In terms of inspiration, it was pretty similar to Rustboro City's Gym.

Grovyle and Slowpoke stood on either side of their trainer, analyzing the building as well. The silence didn't last long, however, thanks to none other than Fletchling.

"Why's we waitin' outside? Let's go and kick dat guy's ass already!"

Slowpoke slapped him across the face with her tail, sending the robin tumbling through the sand and into the Gym's door. Instead of assisting Fletchling - Grovyle was already at his side, so there was no need - Thomas let out a sigh of relief.

 _It's a good thing we ran into Tyson yesterday,_ he thought to himself as Slowpoke spat Fletchling's way.

"Are you up to battle today?" Slowpoke looked at Thomas and raised an eyebrow, giving him an 'are you kidding me?' expression. "All right, you're going first."

After seeing the Water-type nod, Thomas made his way towards Fletchling and Grovyle, who were waiting right in front of the Gym's entrance.

"Ay, Boss!" the Flying-type called, drawing his trainer's gaze. "Ya nevuh told us who'd be sittin' out, so who's it gonna be?" Fletchling folded his wings over his chest and smirked until Thomas pointed at him and continued walking with Grovyle and Slowpoke.

Fletchling held his chest and grimaced before falling his back, but his antics went unnoticed because the door to the Gym had already closed. After he caught up with the others, he landed on Thomas' shoulder and pouted like a child, only to be ignored by everyone.

All three of them were too busy discussing the order in which they'd battle - Slowpoke was to start and Grovyle would go second - to pay the sulking robin any attention, at least until Thomas turned slightly and pointed at him.

"Depending on what Brawly's second Pokemon is, Fletchling, you might go in instead of Grovyle."

The Flying-type shrugged and retorted, "Dat ain't good, Boss." Thomas, Grovyle, and Slowpoke stared in silence as Fletchling continued. "If da two of us don't know we's definitely fightin', how's we supposed ta be in top shape?"

Everyone responded with a single, drawn out blink while Fletchling sat down. "Let Dollface be da closuh. Aftuh all, we's still got six utta Gyms, right?"

Thomas nodded with a grin while Grovyle and Slowpoke turned around - they backpedaled to keep pace with their trainer - eyed Fletchling.

"You must be pretty scared if you're deferring to Grovyle," the pink creature taunted. Fletchling swooped down and butted heads with his teammate, only to be separated by Grovyle. Once he settled down and returned to Thomas' shoulder - like always, he didn't notice Thomas' scowl - he shrugged.

"It ain't about bein' afraid, ya strunz. Da best chance we's got at winnin' is wit me on da sidelines and Dollface closin'. Simple as dat."

Slowpoke rolled her eyes and left the robin alone, shifting her focus back to the battle. Grovyle, meanwhile, kept her head down and smiled with each step she took down the hallway. Shortly thereafter, she noticed the floor had changed from wood to rock.

Grovyle looked up from the ground and gasped upon seeing a cave-like room. The battlefield was covered with sand, and the several pillars of rock sticking out of it drew Thomas' attention. He understood the sand being there, since Brawly was a surfer and frequented the beach, but why were there such large obstacles scattered across the battlefield? There had to be a reason behind them, but because Thomas couldn't put his finger on it, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Yo, Tommy!"

Brawly rose from his beach chair in the corner opposite the entrance while waving to Thomas, who groaned, and walked towards his challenger. The Gym Leader was wearing the same outfit from when he met Tom, except he was accompanied by a group of Pokemon with surfboards. All of them were Fighting-types, just like Lisia had said, and even though they appeared threatening, the gentle expressions on their faces said otherwise.

"What's up with this place? I figured it'd be more... beach-y." Slowpoke asked all of a sudden, eliciting laughter from Brawly and his Pokemon.

"Well, I love the ocean, so I had this place designed like an ocean cave and beach. Pretty rad, right?"

Slowpoke shrugged with a blank expression, making Brawly laugh once again. The young man then turned and pointed Thomas and his team towards their trainer box while he and his surfboard-wielding Pokemon walked towards theirs.

The referee, a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and swim trunks, walked into the room a moment later and stood on the pedestal by the side of the sandy battlefield.

"This will be a two versus two battle between the challenger, Thomas Brooks of Littleroot Town, and the Dewford Town Gym Leader, Brawly! Only the challenger may substitute his Pokemon, and the battle will be over when both combatants on either side are unable to continue! Brawly, choose your first Pokemon!"

Brawly grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt and tossed it in the air, yelling, "Breloom, let's ride the tide!"

Plasma shot out of the spherical device and took the shape of a Breloom upon hitting the ground. Once the Grass-type fully materialized it began to hop, alternating from one foot to the other while uncorking a slew of jabs and uppercuts.

Slowpoke rushed onto the battlefield a moment later, preventing Thomas from even considering a different course of action. His deadpan expression went unnoticed by Slowpoke, who kept her eyes locked on Breloom while swiping at the sand beneath her.

The referee nodded once both Pokemon seemed to be done with their entrances, and then he lifted his arms.

"This battle will be between Slowpoke and Breloom! Begin!"

"Okay, show 'em your speed and use Headbutt!" Brawly shouted.

Breloom took off the moment his trainer stopped speaking and lowered himself to the ground as he closed in on Slowpoke. Thomas narrowed his eyes and focused on the Fighting-type's feet, which somehow weren't dipping into the sand. Right when he shifted his focus back to Slowpoke, the gap between both Pokemon had closed considerably, leaving him with only one option.

"Dodge it and run to the other end!"

Slowpoke hopped to her left and bolted across the battlefield, kicking up tons of sand with each stride. Breloom, Brawly, and the rest of the Gym Leader's Pokemon stared wide-eyed as the Water-type skidded to a halt. She flashed them a sly grin and wagged her finger tauntingly until the sound of Thomas clapping filled the air, prompting Slowpoke to turn and break towards Breloom at an even higher speed than before.

"Good job! Keep charging and use Confusion!"

"Fire your Bullet Seed attack at the sand right in front of you!"

A red beam of energy flew out of Slowpoke's eyes, and at the same time Breloom opened his mouth and fired a flurry of yellow bullets at the sand. The moment Confusion was blocked by the sand, Thomas cussed and took his eyes off the battlefield. From what he heard, it sounded like Breloom continued using Bullet Seed and hit Slowpoke, either with the attack or his fist. Thomas' neck snapped to the left and he immediately spotted dozens of welts all along his Pokemon's back. He then noticed Slowpoke rubbing her eyes furiously. Why was she doing that, exactly? Thomas didn't know. After all, he stopped watching the battle for about five seconds, so anything could've happened.

Suddenly, Thomas felt something tapping his arm. It was Grovyle, who pointed at the sand and then her eyes. "Breloom kicked some sand at her when she was charging at him," the gecko explained as Fletchling nodded.

The seventeen-year-old went back to facing Brawly, who was casually tossing a Poke Ball into the air with one hand and catching it. He knew his challenger was backed into a corner, and time was running out for Tom to make a move. Realizing that, Thomas cursed under his breath and scanned the battlefield. Even if he couldn't restore Slowpoke's vision, there had to be some way he could level the playing field.

 _Since the sand hasn't affected Breloom's speed, I don't have many options here._ Thomas brought his hand to his chin for a brief moment before a light went off in his head.

"Slowpoke, I need you to stay calm and trust me. Okay?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Thomas ignored the tone and cracked his knuckles, which piqued Brawly's interest, so much so he stopped tossing the Poke Ball.

"Take five steps forward and soak the ground with Water Gun while spinning!"

Slowpoke rose to her feet and did just as she was told. After taking five quick steps, she reared her head back and fired at the ground right in front of her. She spun like a top a few seconds later, spraying the sand with as much water as she could before finally coming to a stop.

Brawly surveyed the area before scratching his head, puzzled by what his challenger was attempting to accomplish. However, he regained his composure and threw a hand forward, shouting, "Use Headbutt again, Breloom!"

The aforementioned Pokemon grunted in response and took off just like she had earlier, at least until her foot hit the ground.

 _Squish!_

Breloom's foot had suck into the sand, though she recovered rather quickly by thrusting her leg upward. She, as well as her trainer, examined the ground and then Thomas, who flashed a quick grin. Thomas didn't level the playing field like he had expected; he completely stole the momentum from Brawly.

"I noticed at the start of the battle that the sand wasn't collapsing underneath Breloom's foot since she was moving so fast," the rookie trainer began upon noticing his opponents' stares. "So I figured if the sand became wet, it would give out the moment there was a shift in weight."

Even though his jaw dropped, Brawly kept his internal dialogue going, thinking, _Holy crap!_ _The little dude was analyzing Breloom's movements from the very start of the battle?_ He slapped his palm against his forehead with a grunt, yet he couldn't help but laugh.

"Well I'll be." Adjusting his posture so that he was standing up straight, the Gym Leader fiddled with the goggles on his head and then swung his right arm out to his side. "We won't be toppled by some little trick! Breloom, from now on stay on the rocks!"

The instant Breloom's feet left the ground, Thomas snapped his fingers at Slowpoke.

"Now's our chance! Shoot a Water Gun attack straight up and don't move!"

Brawly and Breloom kept their eyes glued to their opponent as she shot a ball of water into the air. Thomas, meanwhile, flinched when he saw Breloom jumping from one rock to the next without so much as breaking a sweat. Before the Alolan could so much as breathe, Breloom was already within ten feet of Slowpoke. Still, Thomas' confidence didn't wane. And for whatever reason, Brawly didn't issue an attack, even though Breloom had turned to face him and called for an order.

Unlike everyone in the room, Fletchling knew why Brawly didn't capitalize. Even from across the room, he could see it in the Gym Leader's eyes. Brawly was rattled.

Breloom continued to call for his trainer's assistance, ignoring the sound of splashing water altogether. Slowpoke rubbed her eyes as fast as she could, and much to her delight, the sand was washed out. Without a word, she glanced over her shoulder and at Thomas, who yawned upon meeting her gaze.

Grovyle deadpanned when Slowpoke turned her back to Thomas, so she took matters into her own hands by grabbing Thomas' left arm and shaking it. The Alolan kept his sights locked on Brawly, seemingly ignoring Grovyle. All of a sudden, he winked and reached into the back left pocket of his jeans, breaking his starter's grip.

The gecko picked up on her trainer's subtle actions and left him alone, her attention returning to the ongoing battle. When she did, Grovyle saw Brawly was still ignoring Breloom's cries for help, and that Slowpoke had already reached the top of the rock pillar - she was really just hanging from the top with her back legs dangling.

"Yawn!" Thomas screamed, causing everyone other than Slowpoke to jump.

Neither Breloom nor Brawly was able to process what was happening, which allowed Slowpoke to release a cloud of bubbles from her nose. They popped upon contact with the Fighting-type, who immediately let out a yawn and stretched her arms over her head. Brawly snapped out of his trance shortly thereafter, earning himself Thomas' undivided attention.

"Hurry and use Leech Seed!"

Breloom bent over and stared Slowpoke square in the eyes, freezing the quadruped in her place. Thomas attempted to call out to his Pokemon, but by the time he did, Breloom had already spat a seed that hit her in the head. Vines shot out of the seed and wrapped themselves all around Slowpoke, who was suddenly enveloped in red light. The Water-type hollered in pain as Leech Seed sapped away her energy, but that didn't keep Slowpoke from maintaining her grip.

Breloom chuckled at the sight of his opponent's pain-ridden face, but he wasn't able to relish in it, as the effects of Yawn kicked in. He fell asleep right before Slowpoke pulled herself up onto the pillar, and at that moment Brawly took another Poke Ball off his belt.

Thomas let out a sigh of relief once Slowpoke waved her tail, letting him know she was ready to attack, so after taking a deep breath, he ordered, "Don't stop using Confusion until he wakes up!"

Slowpoke wasted no time and fired a red beam of psychic energy from her eyes which exploded the moment it struck Breloom. Both Pokemon were thrown off the rock pillar and while Breloom landed head-first in the sand, Slowpoke braced for impact. She extended all four of her legs at the same time, but when she prepared to land Leech Seed's effects kicked in, causing her to recoil. Before Slowpoke knew it, she landed on her side and yelped.

The pain surging through Slowpoke's side didn't keep her down for long, although her wincing made it quite obvious she was putting on a brave face. Thomas bit his lower lip at the sight, but he ultimately let out a sigh of relief when his Pokemon glanced back at him and nodded.

Thomas let out a sigh of relief along with Grovyle while Slowpoke shot countless numbers of red beams from her eyes, all of which struck Breloom and hurled him several feet at a time. Grunting as she fired one last burst of psychic energy, Slowpoke suddenly found her strength being zapped away by Leech Seed, and then she collapsed. Nanoseconds later, Breloom was struck by the Confusion attack.

The referee eyed both Pokemon and began to raise his arms to signal a draw, but the sight of Slowpoke rising to her feet stopped him. With a grin plastered on his face, the ref turned to Brawly and pointed at his unconscious Pokemon.

"Breloom is unable to continue! Brawly, choose your final Pokemon!"

Thomas let out a sigh after Slowpoke returned to the trainer box, receiving cheers from Grovyle and a nod from Fletchling. Still, it was impossible for Thomas to not pay attention to the condition of his Pokemon, whose back was covered with welts while her right side was a canvas for contusions. Sure, Slowpoke won, but how much energy did she have left in the tank?

Brawly zapped Breloom back into her Poke Ball, praising his effort before clipping the device back on his belt. Then, with a different Poke Ball resting in his palm, Brawly looked directly at Thomas. Even though his Pokemon were celebrating the victory, his focus remained solely on the battle.

"You may have taken down my first Pokemon, but there's no way you'll surf this wave!" Brawly proclaimed once he and Thomas locked eyes.

The latter smiled and fired back. "Enough talking. Show us what you've got!"

A grunt of support from Slowpoke prompted Brawly to hurl the Poke Ball, which exploded upon reaching its apex. Light poured out and four large legs materialized along with a rather large gut. And although the creature's body was shaped like an egg, its two arms - and fists, for that matter - were absolutely enormous.

Once the light faded, Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke gaped at the sight of the beast. Hair as white as snow covered its body while yellow hair rested on top of its head. From what Thomas' Pokemon could gather, the creature looked like some kind of cross between a woolly mammoth and crab.

Unlike his Pokemon, Thomas' expression didn't change in the slightest. He then took his Pokedex out of the pocket of his hoodie and scanned the creature, reciting the entry along with the device.

"Crabominable, the Woolly Crab Pokemon, and the evolved form of Crabrawler. It just throws punches indiscriminately. In times of desperation, it can lop off its own pincers and fire them like rockets."

Everyone in the room stared at Thomas as he put the Pokedex back in his pocket, and as soon as he recognized he was the center of attention, he cleared his throat.

"My mom has one," he said flatly. "A lot of people in Alola have them and Crabrawler. It's not uncommon."

Fletchling shook his head while laughing and said, "I fuhgot you ain't from dis place. You must'a seen a bunch'a Pokuhmon dat don't live 'round dese pahts, right, Boss?"

Thomas nodded, adding, "Lots of Pokemon here have different fo-"

"What was that about no more talking?" Brawly asked with a grin, causing Thomas to sweat-drop.

"Right. Sorry about that. We're ready whenever you are."

Brawly waved off the apology, chuckling as he did so. "No sweat, little dude. But before we get this thing rockin', I think it's time to switch things up a bit."

Before he could question the Gym Leader, Thomas watched the referee hop off his pedestal and run towards a swtich on the wall. He flipped it and sprinted back to the pedestal, which started to grow. The same thing happened to the trainer boxes and the rock pillars on the battlefield, which descended while being filled with water. Thomas and his Pokemon stared at the environment for a few seconds until Brawly clapped.

"Just like a wave, you never know when your opponent's gonna throw you in for a loop."

Thomas scanned the field in a hurry while Slowpoke jumped down into the sandpit and locked eyes with Crabominable, who banged his hands against his chest.

 _Once the water-level gets high enough, Slowpoke should have an ever greater advantage with mobility. Plus she can use those rocks as cover whenever Crabominable attacks,_ Thomas thought. _Still,_ _it's going to take a while before there's enough water for her to swim._

"This battle will be between Slowpoke and Crabominable! Begin!"

Thomas snapped out of his thoughts and threw his hand forward, shouting, "Slowpoke, use Water Gun!"

Slowpoke leaned back and shot a high-powered blast of water at Crabominable, who punched his fists together and roared. Then he darted to the side and towards Slowpoke, weaving through the rock pillars.

"It's so fast!" Grovyle shrieked as the enormous crab closed in on his target.

"Use Dizzy Punch and don't let up!" Brawly commanded.

Crabominable loaded his arm back until his fist turned white, and then he slugged Slowpoke across the face. She bounced across the sand and slammed into the side wall so hard she was sent flying back in Crabominable's direction, where she landed about five feet away from the beast. Shortly thereafter, she was zapped by Leech Seed. Still, Slowpoke lifted her head to see Crabominable standing right over her, his fist surging with white energy once again. Lucky for her, Thomas' response came well before the next punch.

"Throw sand in his eyes and then use Tackle on his legs!"

With a smirk on her face, Slowpoke rolled away from Crabominable's attack in the nick of time. Then, using her momentum, she dragged her tail through the sand and hurled it at her foe's eyes. Crabominable brought both of his arms up to deflect the sand, but he left an opening for Slowpoke to strike his legs, which is exactly what she did. A head-first dive into his leg drew a grimace from Crabominable, though that didn't dampen Brawly's ecstatic look.

"Counter, Crabominable!"

Thomas gasped as red aura enveloped Crabominable's body, which he then channeled into his fist before clobbering Slowpoke a second time. The water splashed as Slowpoke rolled through it, and when she stood up she took note of how it had already risen halfway up her legs. At that rate she'd be able to dive underwater in a few minutes.

"Can you keep going, Slowpoke?" The aforementioned Pokemon looked up at Thomas and nodded. "Use Confusion on the left side of the pillar's base next to Crabominable!"

Slowpoke turned and locked her sights on the pillar, which was more than double Crabominable's size. Channeling her energy into her head, she fired a beam of red light from her eyes that ripped through the bottom-left half of the pillar, causing it to fall on Crabominable.

Much to his horror, Thomas watched Crabominable lift the pillar with one hand and crush it with a punch from the other. Slowpoke immediately backpedaled away from her opponent while Grovyle froze.

"That didn't even leave a scratch," Thomas muttered, his heartbeat escalating and sweat rolling down his head. "Does he even have a weakness?"

Brawly overheard his challenger and folded his hands behind his neck.

"Ya know, sometimes when surfers wipeout, they get dragged underneath a wave. When it's got a hold of you, it doesn't matter how much you fight back, because it won't let go," Brawly told Thomas. "Crabominable's just like that wave, little dude."

The aforementioned Pokemon leaned its head back and let out a deafening roar as the water rose to the top of his legs.

"Dizzy Punch!"

Slowpoke's backpedaling wasn't enough to escape Crabominable's speed, as he reached her in the blink of an eye. The Fighting-type delivered a third blow to her jaw, that knocked her out cold in an instant. The force of Crabominable's punch launched Slowpoke into the wall to the side of the once again, her limp body floating in the water serving as proof of his victory.

"Slowpoke is unable to continue! Thomas, choose your final Pokemon!"

Just like the referee showed with his calling the match, Thomas didn't hesitate to withdraw his Pokemon.

"You were great, Slowpoke. I'll take you to the Pokemon Center as soon as this is over."

Thomas stared at the Poke Ball, Slowpoke's battle with Crabominable playing in his mind at warp speed. Suddenly, he tightened his grip to the point where his arm shook, drawing Grovyle's and Fletchling's attention. It was just like Brawly had said, Slowpoke was caught by the wave otherwise known as Crabominable, and there was nothing she nor he, her trainer, could do about it.

Unbeknownst to her, Grovyle was thinking the same thing. She should've switched in to fight, even if that meant fighting her teammate afterwards. The water-level being so low wouldn't have hindered her in any way, and it would've been high enough for Slowpoke to swim in if she had been sent out again.

 _Why didn't I take her place?_ the gecko asked herself.

"Yo! Dollface!" Grovyle flinched at the sound of Fletchling calling her. "Go and kick his ass already, would ya? I ain't keen on bein' in dis place all day," he said with a sly grin.

Grovyle shifted her gaze to Thomas, waiting for him to say something. He didn't, so the Grass-type sighed and asked a question.

"Do you really think _I_ can win? I think Fletchling would be a better choice for this."

Thomas' face remained expressionless made Grovyle sweat-drop. There wasn't a chance she was going to change his mind, so Grovyle slowly turned to face the battlefield, which was already halfway filled with water.

"Oh thank goodness. Crabominable drowned, so we won, right?"

Brawly cleared his throat obnoxiously loud, prompting Grovyle to look his way. When she did, she saw Crabominable shadowboxing next to his trainer. The Grass-type hung her head, but after inhaling deeply she jumped onto the rock pillar closest to Thomas and Fletchling. From there, Grovyle analyzed the rest of them. They all had flat, circle-shaped tops just large enough for her to stand on, which left her with one question. How was Crabominable going to battle? She didn't have time to dwell on that, though, as the referee's voice entered her ears.

"This battle will be between Grovyle and Crabominable! Begin!"

Brawly raised his hand in the air, as if to ask Thomas for the first move, which he was granted. After bowing, Brawly tapped his Pokemon's shoulder and pointed at the water.

"Use Frost Breath on the water and then Hail once you land."

Crabominable opened his mouth and exhaled, creating a gust of wind that froze the rising body of water in an instant. He then hopped out of the trainer box, landed on the slippery floor without a problem, and roared while looking at the ceiling. Thomas and his Pokemon gaped when storm clouds appeared above the battlefield, and then it hailed. The chunks of ice pelted Grovyle, who, after wincing, turned back to her trainer.

"Ignore it for now, okay?" Grovyle nodded and refocused on her opponent. The brief interaction granted Thomas just enough time to scan the battlefield and formulate a strategy, prompting him to issue a command. "Use Quick Attack to move around the platforms and attack with Bullet Seed!"

Grovyle shot forward and fired off a round of solar bullets before landing on top of another pillar. One quick glance later and she was off to another pillar, still firing away at her opponent. Somehow Grovyle managed to hit on more than ninety percent of the bullets, yet it didn't seem like she was inflicting any damage.

Thomas waited for some type of physical response from Crabominable, who was using his arms as shields, but one never materialized.

"That's right! Keep taking it head-on until I say so!" Brawly clapped in support of his Pokemon before looking at Thomas from across the room. The younger trainer narrowed his eyes in response, analyzing Brawly's body language while Grovyle continued to pelt Crabominable.

 _He wouldn't be looking that confident if Grovyle's attacks were effective,_ Thomas said mentally as he stroked his chin. _But her stronger options are all close-ranged, and the second we try to outmuscle Crabominable it's game over. There has to be some way she can get a good hit in._

Thomas continued stroking his chin for ten seconds or so before his face lit up.

"Grovyle, use Double Team and keep circling Crabominable from above with Quick Attack!" he exclaimed.

After she ceased fire, Grovyle slammed her hands together and created five clones of herself, all of which mirrored her movements. Brawly took a step forward to look down at Crabominable, who was spinning around in an attempt to keep the real Grovyle in his sights. He lost her the moment she and her clones used Quick Attack, though that didn't stop him from trying to find her again.

"Damn. He's still got a few tricks up his sleeve?" Brawly asked aloud to no one in particular. He and the group of Pokemon behind him watched as the image of Grovyle and her clones began to disappear inside a ring of white light, which grew so bright they and Crabominable had to cover their eyes.

Being on the other end of the battlefield, Thomas didn't encounter the same problem, allowing him to issue an attack without fear.

"Use Double Kick and then go back to circling him!"

A green blur descended from the ring of light like a missile and dealt a pair of kicks that knocked Crabominable on his back and into the wall beneath Brawly. Once Grovyle landed on the ice she tried to return to her clones by jumping, but she slipped and fell on her face.

"Well dat ain't good. Looks like she's... skatin' on thin ice!" Fletchling turned to his trainer with a stupid grin, only to hang his head when Thomas ignored him.

He was sweating again, only this time much more profusely. After wiping his brow dry, Thomas took a deep breath and studied the rock pillars jutting out of the ice. Suddenly, he cursed and brought his hands to his head. He was too far away to see if there was anything for Grovyle to grab onto, and it wasn't like she could search for anything since she was too preoccupied with trying not to slip. She did, however, after being struck by hail.

At that time, Brawly and Crabominable uncovered their eyes and saw an opportunity to attack. The Gym Leader pounced almost immediately, startling his challengers.

"Crabominable, skate over there and hit her with Power-Up Punch!"

Crabominable rushed at Grovyle as his fist surged with red aura. Once she was within range, he clocked her across the face, sending Grovyle skidding along the ice on her back until she collided with one of the pillars. The Grass-type clamped her arms to it and rose to her feet, shimmying around the structure to shield herself from another attack.

Thomas continued to rack his brain for ideas, only to come up empt. Had he finally run out of ideas? Surely he could think of one more to push Grovyle past Crabominable, but it'd have to come quick, otherwise the battle would be over.

"Use another Power-Up Punch!" Brawly shouted.

The sheer volume of Brawly's voice ended Thomas' stream of thoughts, prompting the Alolan to look down at the battlefield. Crabominable loaded his arm back while skating towards the pillar Grovyle was behind, though the Grass-type was unaware. As soon as Crabominable appeared in her peripheral, Grovyle turned and braced for impact.

"Go with the momentum and use Mega Drain to counter!"

Grovyle did just that by throwing herself back the moment Crabominable's fist connected with her chest, which softened the blow. While Crabominable pursued her, Grovyle threw her hands forward and shot three green arrows his way. All of them struck and returned to Grovyle as orbs, which seemed to disappear inside her and restore a bit of her energy. Despite the attack, Crabominable continued skating until he had his target boxed in a corner on Thomas' half of the battlefield.

"Use Frost Breath to make two walls and box her in!"

Obeying his trainer's command, Crabominable exhaled and created two ten-feet-tall walls of ice. Grovyle backpedaled away from the hulking beast until her back was pressed against the wall, eliciting a nervous command from her trainer.

"Fire away with Bullet Seed to keep him at a distance!" Thomas yelled as he leaned over the edge.

Grovyle sent another round of solar bullets Crabominable's way, but he shielded himself with his arms and trudged through. Thomas pulled at his hair after each step Crabominable took, but Grovyle continued to fire away at full power until her opponent was a foot away.

Brawly exhaled at the sight, prepared to give one final order. Before he did, he glanced at Thomas and smiled.

"Okay! Unleash an Ice Punch barrage and wrap this up!"

Crabominable roared in response as both of his fists were shrouded in frost. He took his time powering up both, so Grovyle closed her eyes and waited.

 _I knew I couldn't do this. Thomas should've chosen Fletchling instead of me,_ she thought as her inevitable loss loomed. _That's why I didn't switch in for Slowpoke. I knew I was too weak._

She felt a tear roll down her cheek and refused to open her eyes.

 _Just when I thought I had finally caught up to them..._

The tears continued to fall from her face as she pictured Fletchling and Slowpoke reaching out to her.

 _Just when I thought I could be strong too..._

Crabominable let out another roar and threw his fists forward.

 _Just when I thought I was worth something..._

"Grovyle!"

 _I failed._

"Grovyle! What are you doing?!"

The aforementioned Pokemon opened her eyes and looked up at the voice. Thomas, who leaned as far over the edge as he could, was staring at her. Grovyle turned away from him to wipe her tears away, and in doing so, she saw Crabominable struggling to lift his arms off the ground. From what she could tell, they were badly bruised, but how? Once she made sure there weren't any tears in her eyes, Grovyle looked back up at Thomas, who pointed at Crabominable repeatedly.

"Hurry and attack him! Please!" he screamed. "I know you can win this!"

Grovyle recoiled but kept her eyes locked onto Thomas. Everything she had thought about - being too weak, being scared, being worthless - was gone. There was only one thing she was thinking of at that moment, something that she had never thought before.

 _I WON'T LOSE!_

Setting her sights on Crabominable, Grovyle rushed forward and skated along the ice. Brawly's jaw hit the ground while Thomas, on the other hand, clenched his fists and bit his lower lip. Once she was close enough, Grovyle loaded her left leg back as it turned bright blue and then launched it upwards, kicking Crabominable straight through the walls of ice he created. The massive creature flew across the battlefield and into the wall underneath Brawly before falling on his face.

The referee stared for a moment before turning to Grovyle, who met his gaze and nodded.

"Crabominable is unable to continue! That means Thomas, Grovyle, and Slowpoke are the winners!"

 **000**

"You did what?!"

Tyson turned away from the camera and rubbed the back of his head. The sheepish response generated a scream from Owen, who was on the other end of the call, causing Greninja to jump.

"Sorry. I was so focused on-"

"Clearly you weren't focused, otherwise you would've brought the damn Beast Balls, Tyson!" The Champion slammed his fist against his desk and spun away from the camera, muttering several profanities while Greninja and Tyson kept their mouthes shut.

After taking a deep breath, Owen ran a hand through his hair and looked back at the screen of his laptop. Before he could say another word, a pair of requests to join the call popped up in front of Tyson's face, both of which were accepted right away.

The screen split into four separate feeds, and two men in their mid-thirties appeared. One of them, a brunette, was accompanied by a Blaziken while the other, also a brunette, sat next to a black Greninja.

"Sorry for the short notice, guys," Owen said, prompting both men to nod. "Tyson just called and told me that he and Molly managed to stop one of the Ultra Beasts from destroying Dewford, but he forgot to bring Beast Balls to capture it."

Tyson sweat-dropped after watching one of the men - the one with the Blaziken - throw his head back and groan. The other let out a much more reserved sigh and folded his arms over his chest.

"Will, calm down," the Blaziken said to his trainer. "Let's just be happy that Tyson and Molly are safe and healthy."

The man, Will, folded his hands and rested them on top of his head. "You're right, Pyro. Sorry about that, Tyson," Will said after he leaned back and took a deep breath. "So how does Dewford Town look? Did anyone get hurt?"

Tyson frowned. "A decent amount of houses were destroyed, so I don't know how many people were hurt. We managed to save a trainer, but we had to use Accel Synchro to stop that thing."

Owen raised an eyebrow as he watched Tyson scratch his neck. He was grinding his teeth to keep from wincing, and the Champion saw right through it. With a stern look on his face - one cultivated from over twenty years of parenting - Owen spoke. "Please try to keep from using that in the future."

Tyson and Greninja nodded, prompting the Champion of Kalos to shift gears.

"Have you or Blade heard heard anything about appearances of other Ultra Beasts, Tristan?"

The aforementioned man nodded along with his black Greninja and cleared his throat.

"Mauville City's been experiencing some blackouts the past few days, and we believe the cause of that is Xurkitree. Wattson checked to see if any of the generators were malfunctioning, so when he told me it happened to three sets, I asked around and a bunch of people said they saw a creature that looked like it was made of wires come out of a hole in the sky."

Tristan paused for a moment to see if his friends had any questions, which Tyson did.

"If that's been going on, when are we planning on going there?"

"I think it'd be in our best interest to check things out as soon as possible and coordinate with Wattson, unless any of you are opposed to that." Tristan watched as the three other trainers shook their heads.

Shortly thereafter, Owen leaned closer towards the screen and rested his chin on his hands, tuning out everyone in the process. There wasn't a chance Tyson and Molly could be trusted to look into the occurrences, not after their debacle with Pheromosa. Unfortunately, there weren't any other options since they were the only trainers who had enough time to stay in Hoenn and were capable of getting the job done. The latter qualification narrowed Owen's options down to Molly, Tyson, and Kalos' Elite Four, and the former qualification eliminated each member of the Elite Four.

Then again, having Molly and Tyson sit on the sidelines for the rest of the operation would make combatting the Ultra Beasts even more difficult. And if Owen knew his daughter well enough - which he did - he was certain she wouldn't let Tyson make the same mistake again. Still, he couldn't help but worry about her wellbeing.

 _Would she be safe, even with Tyson accompanying her?_ the Champion thought as he stared at a picture of a little girl on his shoulders.

"I guess it's settled then," Tristan said, drawing Owen's attention and a nod from Tyson. "Are you sure you about this, Will? I mean, aren't you supposed to be going back to Sinnoh soon?"

Will shrugged, causing his friend to deadpan. "Hey, Pyro, I just remembered something," the middle-aged man said to his starter, who raised an eyebrow. "I have a meeting with Blade, but I can't remember when it is. I guess I'll have to cancel the flight back!"

Owen, Tristan, and Tyson laughed along with Will for a good while, and once things settled down the quartet took a minute to gather their thoughts. Although their attempt at capturing Pheromosa had failed, they could make up for it by capturing Xurkitree.

"And if you guys don't mind, I'd like to look into this on my own," Will stated.

"Are you sure you won't need any backup?" Tyson asked, drawing a nod in response. "Well, just in case you do, Molly and I are a call away."

"The same goes for myself and the rest of Hoenn's Elite Four," Tristan said.

Will smiled and nodded, prompting his friends to wave and exit out of the call. Owen didn't, however, which halted Will from leaving just like Tristan and Tyson.

"Please let me know when you see her and update me on how she's doing,."

As soon as Will nodded, Owen ended the call and got up from his desk. He scanned all of the pictures displayed on the walls and shelves, but not one seemed to catch his eye. Owen continued walking around his office until he came across a picture standing all by its lonesome. He grabbed it and took a seat back at his desk, where he then placed the photo and stared at it.

There were six figures in the picture standing right outside the Kalos League building, their faces brimming with excitement. Owen gazed at the image of his full-head-of-haired younger self and patted the thinning hair on his head before looking back down.

He was standing to the right of a woman with wavy brown hair and smiling. One of his arms was draped over his wife's shoulder while he pointed at the brunette's baby with his other hand. Two Pokemon - a Flygon and Houndoom - were leaning their heads towards the baby, who, in turn, tried reaching out to touch them. The infant, who was held securely in her mother's arms, had the biggest smile Owen had ever seen.

Suddenly, he folded his hands and bowed his head.

"Hey, it's me again." Owen kept quiet for a moment until he couldn't help but crack a smile. "I bet you'd be making a joke right now if you walked in and saw this - just like you did every time I was watching one of Molly's battles - and even though I know you can't respond, having a conversation like this really helps."

Going silent again as memories came to him left and right, Owen waited until his mind was blank before speaking.

"Anyways, I wanted to let you know that I'm keeping a close eye on her even though she's a trainer now and can take care of herself. Will and Tristan are always checking on how she's doing, Tristan especially, since she's competing in the Ever Grande Conference. From what he's told us it sounds like she already has a few badges under her belt, so don't be shocked if I come talking to you during all of her League battles. Hahaha."

Despite his laughter, Owen felt tears swelling in his eyes. As he rubbed them away, he couldn't help but think of the baby from the picture reaching out to touch her mother's Pokemon.

"Well, I've gotta go. There's a meeting about making the Kalos League split into two divisions, one for experienced trainers and the other for first-timers. I bet it'll be a blast," Owen said sarcastically as he sat upright and focused on the mother in the picture.

He remembered the moments leading up to, and following, the picture being taken, and how happy she and her daughter were. Whenever his friend wasn't looking after the baby, she was training, making sure her spot in the Elite Four wasn't up for grabs.

Owen picked up the photograph and returned it to the empty shelf by his desk, but he took one more look at the mother and her gray eyes before walking out.

* * *

 **Huzzah! Thomas pulled out another narrow win over a Gym Leader, putting his badge count at two thanks to his quick thinking, Slowpoke, and Grovyle. After that Tyson got on a call with Owen, Will, and Tristan about his blunder with Pheromosa. There was little time to dwell on it, however, since Tristan seemed to have found an Ultra Beast,** **Xurkitree,** **was residing in Mauville City. Will volunteered to search for, and capture, Xurkitree, so there's a chance another powerful trainer battles an Ultra Beast!  
** **Next chapter's going to focus on Thomas heading off for Slateport City, the return of Louise and Gengar, and shenanigans on an abandoned ship. Till then, peace out.**

 **Also, special thanks to** ** _Warrior of Hope_ and _ShadowDragon9000_ for letting me use their OCs, Will and Tristan, respectively.**

 **1\. In your opinion, who was the MVP of the battle?  
**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Ghost Ship Gaffe"**_

 ** _While searching for a way to Mauville City for his third badge Thomas crosses paths with Louise, who offers to take him there. The catch? He has to help her look for a new Pokemon in the abandoned ship near Slateport. What kind of Pokemon reside in the ship, and will they welcome Thomas and Louise?_**

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 ** **Chapter 19:** Trickhouse Trials  
** **Chapter 20: Angel or Demon?  
Chapter 21: The Color Crew Assembles** **  
** **Chapter 22: Regaining Rhythm  
** **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough** **  
** **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives** **  
Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	18. Ghost Ship Gaffe

**All right! I'm here with another update for you lovely people, and I have to say I really like how this turned out. Last chapter, Thomas, Slowpoke, and Grovyle went up against Brawly, Breloom, and Crabominable in what turned out to be a very close battle that could've gone either way. Grovyle defeated Crabominable to seal the victory, and in the process she overcame the low opinion she had of herself. This chapter will focus on Thomas and Louise checking out the abandoned ship on their way to Slateport, but there's quite a bit before that I'd rather not spoil. Now let's get going!**

 **Warrior of Hope:** _She really did save the day, and hopefully the victory improves her self-esteem. If that doesn't do it, then I don't know what would. As for Crabominable, I agree that he would've dominated a close-quarters fight (which is the reason I had Tom choose Slowpoke instead of Fletchling) and I think you described him perfectly. And, like you explained, Grovyle's certainly deserving of being the MVP. In regards to the meeting at the end, I'm so happy to hear I did Will's character justice! I totally relate to that feeling of nostalgia whenever I write about Owen, since it feels like his story ended ages ago. Thanks for the kind words!_

 **dragonplayer18:** _Indeed it is, and interesting prediction! Grovyle looks like the runaway pick for MVP (sorry, Starfish xD), and just what did happen to Gray? Hmm._

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _Lol. I realized a little while in that I wasn't using surfer lingo, but I made sure to put that in since, well, it's Brawly! I'm glad you liked the battle, and the choice of Crabominable. I was originally going to choose Crabrawler, since that seems to be a more beach-y Pokemon, but it wasn't intimidating enough. That last scene was so much fun to write because all of the characters were in crossovers when they were younger, and now they're all so much stronger and more experienced. Depressing picture monologue is depressing, though xD_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _I wasn't expecting to update so quickly, but the battle and scene after were a lot of fun to write. Accel Synchro's downside is going to be very, very interesting, if I do say so myself. You should find out the next time Tyson uses it, and I was rereading the story after posting when I thought the same thing!_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Yep, I'm kind of surprised the battle didn't take longer. Slowpoke's fight with Breloom was really enjoyable for me since it involved the beach, and Crabominable was even more fun because of its destructive power. Grovyle should be more confident with that win under her belt, and I'm glad you liked Owen's reaction! As for Gray, I'm also wondering what happened to her ;P_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 19, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
** **Slowpoke, (f), level 15, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*** **  
**

* * *

Thomas leaned back and groaned, bringing his hands to his face as he did so. He was sitting in the Pokemon Center's lobby with the screen of his Pokedex displaying a dozen or so ships that were scheduled to depart for Slateport City. They were all booked, and the next available ticket was two weeks from now. That meant fourteen days of waiting around in Dewford Town, or, as Thomas viewed it, fourteen days of being stuck in purgatory.

Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke sat across from their trainer as he pulled at his hair, each staring at the shiny piece of metal in Thomas' badge case. The Stone Badge - which they had earned from Roxanne a few weeks earlier - had lost its luster, but the Knuckle Badge was all shiny and new. It was almost entirely blue and shaped like a boxing glove, with an orange circle giving the appearance of a thumb.

Even though the battle with Brawly was the toughest challenge they had faced during their journey, they pulled out the victory. If either Slowpoke or Grovyle hadn't battled as well as they did, there was no chance of winning. Their efforts weren't the only deciding factor, though. As the three Pokemon took their eyes off of the badge, they looked at Thomas, whose strategy and tactics also played an instrumental role. Without him, Slowpoke and Grovyle wouldn't have stood a chance.

The seventeen-year-old removed his hands from his face to see his Pokemon staring. He raised an eyebrow before glancing down at his Pokedex and groaning again.

"Tickets to Slateport City are sold out for the next week."

Both Slowpoke and Fletchling blinked once before erupting, the sight of which made Grovyle deadpan. As the two continued screaming, Thomas placed the Pokedex back in the pocket of his hoodie and got up from his seat. Grovyle watched him silently walk outside.

"Hey, we should go ch-" Grovyle stopped speaking mid-sentence the moment she realized her teammates were still screaming about the situation.

"If we's ain't makin' no progress and beatin' Gym Leaduhs fuh two weeks, da hell is we's gonna do?!"

"I swear, if I wake up tomorrow and see that we're still here, I'll kill someone!"

The trainers and Pokemon that heard Slowpoke's proclamation stared at her and backpedaled out of the lobby in a hurry. Even Nurse Joy kept her mouth shut and took cover underneath her desk. Fletchling turned to scream something at Grovyle, but when he didn't see anyone other than her, he tilted his head.

"Ay, Dollface, what happened ta da Boss? Is he goin' swimmin'?"

Grovyle opened her mouth, but by the time she could formulate a word, Fletchling had already flown out the front door, leaving her and Slowpoke behind. Grovyle immediately gave chase while Slowpoke's tirade continued until she realized she was all by her lonesome. Lucky for her, she caught a brief glimpse of Grovyle leaving through the front door, prompting her to do the same.

It took less than a minute for Fletchling, Grovyle, and Slowpoke to catch up to Thomas. From what they could tell, he was writing something in his notebook while occasionally looking out at the sea, and every so often they'd hear him muttering to himself. He'd also twirl the pen in his hand and angrily cross something out, which elicited a laugh from Fletchling.

Thomas looked over his shoulder and spotted his Pokemon in an instant. Their cover was blown.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, his emerald green eyes scanning each of their faces.

Fletchling stepped forward and coughed to clear his throat. "Ya ran off, so we follow ya, Boss!" He then flapped his wings and flew onto Thomas' shoulder. "What's da plan? Is we's gonna train?"

Thomas shook his head and resumed walking the streets of Dewford Town, looking at the buildings to his left and right every few seconds. Slowpoke and Grovyle glanced at each other and then at their trainer, who strolled along in absolute silence.

"So what are we going to do? Do you have anything in mind?" Slowpoke waited for a response, and when all she got was a shrug, she nearly bit her tongue off. Before the Water-type could go on another tangent, Grovyle ran to Thomas' side and stopped him.

They locked eyes and went completely still despite people walking by and pointing at them. Slowpoke and Fletchling furrowed their brows at the staring contest, sensing some kind of telepathic conversation was occurring between their trainer and teammate. Suddenly, Thomas broke Grovyle's gaze and sighed.

"I'm just thinking about stuff," he stated. After noticing the looks from each of his team members, Thomas interlocked his fingers and placed his hands behind his head and added, "Like what kinds of Pokemon I should be looking to catch once we get to Slateport."

Fletchling hopped off of Thomas' shoulder and landed next to Slowpoke. Thomas sweat-dropped as the two glared at him, while Grovyle, on the other hand, folded her arms over her chest and looked off into space. The gecko racked her mind, ignoring Fletchling's and Slowpoke's claims of Thomas trying to replace them, before she snapped her fingers and smiled.

"Thomas isn't trying to replace us, he's just saying he needs to catch a Pokemon that can cover our weaknesses!" Grovyle looked towards her trainer and beamed when he nodded.

Fletchling, however, scratched his head. "I ain't followin'," he said, drawing a nod from Slowpoke.

Thomas sighed. "You're all fast - which doesn't make sense in Slowpoke's case, but whatever - and rely on that speed during battle to overcome bigger, stronger opponents," the Alolan stated, putting up his index finger while each of the Pokemon nodded. "Grovyle and Fletchling, you're limited in terms of long-ranged attacks while Slowpoke doesn't utilize them because she likes close-range fighting."

Slowpoke rubbed the back of her head and looked away from Thomas as he put up a second finger.

"And while Slowpoke _will_ have strong defenses when she evolves, I can't say the same for you two. Plus, she's likely going to lose all of her speed when that happens, so there's another issue."

Thomas held three fingers out and stared at each of his Pokemon for a few seconds.

"So, Fletchling, to put it as simply as I can," Thomas said, "I need to catch a Pokemon that focuses on long-ranged attacks, one that's big and powerful, and another that can take a lot of hits, all so _you_ won't have to face such huge disadvantages."

Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke stared at their trainer as he took a deep breath and put his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. Was what Thomas said really true? Were they, as a team and individually, as flawed as he made them out to be? Clearly he had been thinking about it since the moment their Gym Battle was over, so he wasn't talking out of his ass.

Thomas cussed mentally when he saw the expressions of his Pokemon.

 _Even though everything I said was true, did I go too far?_ he asked himself mentally. A small tap on the arm brought Thomas out of his thoughts, and back to his team, although he couldn't look at them.

"Ya know what, Boss?"

Thomas stared at the ground, refusing to look his Pokemon in the eyes.

"I appreciate ya honesty."

The Alolan flinched and raised his head. Fletchling was smiling, and a fire seemed to be burning in his eyes. Thomas noticed the same determined look in Slowpoke's and Grovyle's eyes, and they too, were smiling.

"Same here. And if switching the way I battle means the team and I will be stronger, I'm all for it!" Slowpoke exclaimed. "But when I evolve and don't lose my speed, I'm gonna rub it in your face!"

Thomas chuckled and then turned to Grovyle after she waved for his attention.

"You're a part of our team too, you know," she remarked. Her trainer flinched, but she paid him no attention and continued, "So we'll need you to cover our weaknesses too, just like during the Gym Battle."

Each of the Pokemon grinned at Thomas, who couldn't help but turn away. After he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie, Thomas faced his Pokemon with a smile and nodded, generating a series of cheers from them, as well as someone to his right. He, Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke turned when the person began to clap following their outburst, and they all gasped.

A young, purple-haired woman strolled towards them with a Gengar by her side, though she stopped clapping after seeing the shocked reactions. She giggled and rested one hand on her hip before saying, "Long time no see, Thomas! How have you been?"

The Gengar stared at Thomas and nodded, snapping him out of his stupor.

"L-Louise and Gengar? What are you doing here?" he asked. The older trainer waved her arm as if she swatted the question like it was a fly.

"I see you're still not big on manners, but I'll let it slide," she retorted with a slick grin.

Thomas bowed, causing Louise to deadpan. Grovyle and Slowpoke followed their trainer's actions and bowed as well, making Fletchling the odd man out. He glared at Gengar, recalling their previous encounter and how she nearly choked him out, though the Ghost-type wasn't interested in him. Instead, her eyes were glued to Grovyle, and a slight smile appeared on her face.

Louise caught a glimpse of it and giggled before Gengar's usual, angry expression returned. Even though she wanted to bring it up, Louise let it go and returned her attention to Thomas, who had since stood up.

"So what's this I hear about boats to Slateport being sold out for the next two weeks?" the elder trainer asked all of a sudden.

Thomas shot a 'were you really eavesdropping the whole time?' look Louise's way, which was answered with a cheeky grin and wink. That was an emphatic, yet subtle, yes.

"We just won our second badge, and when I tried booking a reservation for a boat, the only available tickets were for two weeks from today." Thomas groaned. "So we'll have to stay here until then, which'll make qualifying for the Ever Grande Conference nearly impossible. Even if we keep up our current pace, we'll cut it awfully close."

Louise turned to Gengar and whispered something, only to be shot down without a second thought. Persistence paid off in the end, when Louise asked for the hundredth time and Gengar finally nodded - she also screamed and ranted about how frustrating her trainer was, but that didn't matter.

"It appears you're in luck, Thomas!"

The Alolan stared blankly.

"We're also on our way to Slateport City, so you can tag along if you want." Louise put her hands together and behind her back as she smiled, generating a roar of excitement from Fletchling and Slowpoke. Thomas and Grovyle, meanwhile, stared at Louise.

"You want us to do something in return," they stated in unison.

Louise locked eyes with the younger trainer before she walked away. "Fine, don't come with us. It's no sweat off my back, I just figured I'd be nice and offer some help. Come on, Gengar."

Thomas shook his head and prepared to head back to the Pokemon Center, but when he saw Fletchling and Slowpoke chasing after Louise, he rolled his eyes. Grovyle walked by his side in silence for a minute or so before she turned to him.

"Thomas?" she asked, still matching him stride-for-stride.

"Hm?"

Grovyle turned away and looked at the sand while twiddling her fingers, but she seemed to notice Thomas glancing at her. After she exhaled, the gecko lifted her gaze to the Pokemon Center and asked, "How did you come up with all of those tactics against Brawly? Like making the sand wet to make Breloom slow, or having me build up speed and attack Crabominable from above?"

The Alolan took a second to think as he and Grovyle approached Louise, Gengar, Fletchling, and Slowpoke.

"I've watched battles on TV for as long as I can remember, even if they were old or I had already seen them," he said. "That, and I do as much research on the Gym Leaders as possible. How often they choose certain Pokemon gives me an idea of who to choose, and when I get a sense of their personalities, I can imagine how they'd approach certain situations."

Thomas cracked his knuckles and neck and then continued.

"Like when we met Roxanne, what did you think of her?"

Grovyle rubbed her chin, trying to recall her interactions with Rustboro City's Gym Leader only to draw a blank. "I don't remember her. Wait! She helped show us how to get to her Gym from the Pokemon Center, and she let Fletchling do all the talking."

"Right. She only offered after we had asked Nurse Joy for help and she gave us a chance to stop the prehistoric Pokemon when she could've. She's also a teacher at the school in her Gym, which focuses on developing abilities that are crucial to becoming a trainer. So, I assumed her style was like a teacher. She tried gauging what we were capable of and adjusted accordingly, which is why the battle got easier over time."

Yawning shortly afterwards, Thomas scratched his stomach and pointed at Dewford Gym.

"For Brawly, he had a lot of energy from the moment we met him and took action. Then, looking at how he specialized in Fighting-type Pokemon, I knew he was going to be hyper-aggressive. Add in how he kept talking about surfing, and you'll realize he wanted to be like the wave that nearly killed us."

Thomas took a moment to breathe, and he assumed Grovyle's silence was her asking to further explain, so he did.

"It took me a while, but I eventually realized the surfing activity he had us do wasn't required to challenge him, it was required to _beat_ him. He wanted us to overcome the raw strength of Crabominable like we did when the wave dragged us under - you don't try to overpower it, you either ride it out until there's an opening, or soften the blow. That's why I had you firing at Crabominable's arms. If you softened the blow - injuring his arms did that - and attacked only when you had an opening, I knew you'd win."

Nothing but silence followed, prompting Thomas to glance at his starter. She wasn't by his side, so he turned and spotted her about thirty feet back standing still, her jaw agape. Slowly, Grovyle shook her head and hurried over to Thomas. Even though she should've watched where she was going, she couldn't take her eyes off of the Alolan.

 _All this time I thought he was getting by on luck!_ Grovyle thought, shaking her head. _He just always zones out or looks at what's around. And when he's not doing that, he's either writing in his journal or using the computer._

The sight of Thomas yawning further enforced his laziness. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the bags under his eyes, and that's when it hit her.

 _All of the hours he spent zoning out, writing, and using the computer weren't him screwing around!_ Grovyle's eyes widened, though Thomas didn't notice. _He's been analyzing all three of us - our strengths, weaknesses, tendencies - since the moment we met him, and he uses that information to overcome our deficiencies!_

"Louise, hold on! If your offer still stands, I'd appreciate it if you could take us to Slateport," Thomas said once he finally reached the young woman, who had been stalled by Fletchling and Slowpoke. After she nodded he walked towards the Pokemon Center, passing Grovyle as he said, "Let her know I'll be out in twenty minutes."

The gecko nodded and slogged through the sand, but she turned and watched Thomas disappear inside the red-roofed building, hands in his hoodie pocket and yawning.

 **000**

"You said we'd be on a boat!"

"No, I said I was going to Slateport City and that you could tag along!"

If looks could kill, Louise would've been dead on the spot... several times. She and Thomas were zipping across the sea faster than the latter could've ever imagined; however, he also had trouble imagining himself flying over the water while held by a giant golem with rockets in its feet. At least he'd be able to in the future.

"All right, Golurk, we should be arriving any minute now!"

Golurk nodded in response and upped his speed when a powerful gust of wind blew. The wind burned Thomas' eyes and face, yet he noticed Louise didn't seem the least bit affected. Then again, she also wasn't screaming at the top of her lungs when the monster of a Pokemon - Golurk - grabbed her and took off without a word.

"There it is! We're finally here!"

Thomas opened his eyes and looked straight ahead. There was nothing but water for miles on end, so what the hell was Louise talking about? Thomas thought of possible answers to the question until he covered his eyes due to Golurk dropping from the sky. The manmade Pokemon plummeted until Louise snapped her fingers, leading him to turn on the rockets in his feet once again. Thomas let out a sigh of relief before uncovering his eyes, and he was greeted to the sight of an enormous ship washed up on a small body of sand.

The front of the vessel looked like it had been torn open by whatever it slammed into, and all of the paint was chipping. It looked like it had been a cruise ship many years ago, but its glory days were long gone. To put it simply, the boat was a shell of its former self, if that.

"Thanks for flying us, Golurk. Rest while you can, because we're going to need you to fly us to Slateport when we're done. Okay?"

"Rest is not required, but I will obey your wishes."

Louise nodded and zapped Golurk back inside its Poke Ball before tossing another one. Gengar snapped out of the device almost immediately and scowled while Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke appeared from theirs. The moment his feet hit the water, Fletchling looked down and his eyes nearly shot out of their sockets.

"Screw dis. Put me in da ball," he demanded, prompting Thomas to return him to his Poke Ball.

Gengar and Louise shot Thomas curious looks, so he said, "Fletchling's not a fan of water." The elder duo nodded and marched towards the front of the ship with Thomas, Grovyle, and Slowpoke in tow. "So why'd you bring us here? This place looks like crap."

Louise smiled and pointed at her fellow trainer. " _You_ are going to help us find some Pokemon to catch!" she exclaimed, only to see Thomas and his Pokemon deadpanning. "While we were in Dewford, Gengar and I overheard some sailors talking about how there are a bunch of really powerful Ghost-types. I want to catch one or two so I can have more options."

As the group approached the entrance to the ship, Thomas let out a yawn and asked, "If they're all so powerful, why would you bring us along when we only have two badges?"

"Because two people can cover more ground than one. And congratulations on beating Roxanne and Brawly!"

"Thanks, Louise! If it wasn't for you and Gengar cheering us up, I don't think we could've beaten Roxanne." Grovyle smiled at the young woman and Gengar, both of whom nodded. Before she knew it, Grovyle looked around and noticed they had entered the ship. All of the windows were boarded up, and that was about all anyone could see, since the rest of the area was consumed by darkness.

Thomas glared at Louise as she sauntered deeper into the room with Gengar attached to her hip, but she spun on her heels and took a Poke Ball off her belt before jogging back to the rookie trainer. She then released the Pokemon and handed the device over to Thomas.

A large chandelier materialized in the air above its trainer and scanned its surroundings until spotting Louise. The odd, floating Pokemon descended so that it was at eye-level with Louise, giving Thomas the opportunity to scan it with his Pokedex.

"Chandelure, the Luring Pokemon, and the evolved form of Lampent. Being consumed in Chandelure's flame burns up the spirit, leaving the body behind."

Thomas, Grovyle, and Slowpoke shuddered at the information, but Louise and Gengar weren't the least bit scared by the sentient chandelier.

"If you don't mind, would you please keep an eye on my friend, Thomas, over there, Chandelure? He's helping me look for some Pokemon, but they might be dangerous." The aforementioned Pokemon turned and looked over Thomas before nodding at Louise.

"It'd be my pleasure. I shall see to it that no harm comes to this young man, or his Pokemon." Chandelure spun around and bowed to Thomas. "Although you are not my trainer, nor I your Pokemon, my wish is at your command."

Thomas sweat-dropped.

"You guys can take the top floor and we'll handle everything else. And if you run into a really strong Pokemon, try to lure it towards us, okay? See ya!" Louise waved and then sprinted into the darkness up ahead, leaving Thomas, Grovyle, Slowpoke, and Chandelure standing around in silence.

That changed, however, when Thomas sighed and reached for a Poke Ball on his belt. "Slowpoke, return." After he zapped the Water-type into her capsule, Thomas turned to the other two Pokemon and pointed at the other end of the room. "Could you lead the way, Chandelure?"

"Most certainly!"

Chandelure used the flames on his head and arms to provide quite a bit of light for Thomas and Grovyle, who he led up a flight of stairs and into a hallway. As soon as they arrived, the trio stared at the splotches of red paint on the walls, and some of it had dripped onto the floor. All of the doors on either side of them had been painted red as well, with some spots looking like they had just received a touchup. They continued walking despite the floor creaking with each step Thomas and Grovyle took, but because Chandelure stopped to examine the condition of the area every so often it was impossible to speed through.

Unbeknownst to Thomas, Grovyle, and Chandelure, one of the doors they had walked by opened. Something poked its head out from behind the door and watched them with a pair of beady black eyes until its neck gave out and the back of its skull hit the floor.

"Ik!" it snapped, causing Thomas to turn around. The creature attempted to dive back into hiding, but by the time it picked its head up Chandelure closed the door and backed it up against a wall.

Thomas and Grovyle hurried over and gasped when they got a good look at the wild Pokemon. While the gecko backed away from it and prepared to run, Thomas eyed the creature from a bunch of different angles before scratching his head.

"How did you wind up here?" he asked, only to watch the creature's neck snap underneath the weight of its head.

"GAAAAH!" Grovyle screamed, taking off at the speed of light. Thomas went back to examining the wild Pokemon, however, so Chandelure stayed by his side.

"What kind of Pokemon is this, Mister Thomas? I've never seen... wait." Louise's Pokemon leaned forward and squinted. "Is it dressed up as a Pikachu?"

Without hesitation, Thomas nodded and pulled out his Pokedex to scan the Pokemon.

"Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokemon. A lonely Pokémon, it conceals its terrifying appearance beneath an old rag so it can get closer to people and other Pokémon."

Thomas put the Pokedex away and smiled at Mimikyu, though it wasn't able to see that since its neck was still snapped. "Here, let me fix that," he said before grabbing the creature's head and placing it back on its shoulders.

Mimikyu tilted its head left and right a few times until it was sure its neck wouldn't give out, and then it shifted its focus to the brunette squatting before him. Without any sort of warning, Mimikyu leaped into Thomas' arms and pulled itself up onto his shoulder, putting a smile on his face. However, when Chandelure tapped him on the shoulder, Thomas turned and raised an eyebrow.

"My apologies, but this Pokemon's much more inexperienced than what we should be searching for. I believe it's in our best interest to continue exploring the ship."

Thomas turned to the Mimikyu on his shoulder and then back to Chandelure, who was already heading down the hallway. The Alolan sped after Louise's Pokemon and followed him through another door, which led to an outdoor space. Thomas shielded his eyes from the sunlight while Mimikyu hissed and scampered back to the door, only to find it was closed.

After seeing Mimikyu call for help, Thomas attempted to open the door but it didn't budge. Even when he threw all of his weight back, the door refused to open. He cussed, took his hoodie off, and then put it over Mimikyu's head, putting an end to the Pokemon's hissing.

"Thomas, how do we get down from here?"

The aforementioned trainer looked across the open space and saw Grovyle running his way, sweat pouring down her head. She was going to say something else, but seeing Thomas without his hoodie on was so odd. All of a sudden, the black sweatshirt rushed forward and took cover underneath Thomas.

Grovyle tried to find a way to ask about what was going on, but the words just didn't come to her. She repeatedly brought her hand up to her mouth to cover it after saying the wrong word, and when she finally did manage to formulate the question, Mimikyu's head poked out of the hood and his neck gave out.

"GAAAAH! NOT AGAIN!"

Before Grovyle could take off again, Chandelure returned from the other end of the outdoor area and grabbed ahold of her arm.

"Please don't scream. If we remain calm, we should be able to come up with a way to get downstairs."

"You can take us down," Thomas said flatly, causing Chandelure to deadpan. "Mimikyu needs to go first, though."

"Why? He doesn't have anywhere to go, unlike us." Grovyle pointed at the Pokemon at her feet while her eyes locked onto Thomas. Mimikyu glared at Grovyle and prepared to attack her, but Thomas stepped forward and folded his arms.

"Exposure to sunlight makes them extremely weak, so he's going first. Chandelure, would you mind?"

The powerful Pokemon shook his head and grabbed ahold of Mimikyu before floating over the rails and descending. Thomas followed Chandelure and leaned over so he could keep an eye on both him and Mimikyu. A second later, Thomas gasped when he saw Mimikyu's head poke out of his jacket and they locked eyes. The trainer waved goodbye until Mimikyu disappeared from his sight, but he didn't dwell on what happened because Chandelure had already come back. Thomas then returned Grovyle to her Poke Ball and allowed himself to be wrapped in the Ghost-type's arms.

The moment his feet touched the sand, Thomas thanked Chandelure, let Grovyle out of her Poke Ball, and re-entered the abandoned ship. Within seconds of stepping foot in the destroyed vessel, Thomas and the two Pokemon were welcomed to the sight of Louise patting Mimikyu on the head while Gengar watched from afar.

Mimikyu turned upon hearing footsteps and scampered towards Thomas. Just like it had earlier, Mimikyu leaped into his arms and propped itself on Thomas' shoulder.

"So you guys couldn't find anything either, huh?" The young woman sighed and headed out of the ship, but not before Thomas gave her Chandelure's Poke Ball. "Oh well. I guess we're going to Slateport City."

Grovyle and Thomas eagerly followed the older trainer, but the latter stopped when he realized Mimikyu was still on his shoulder. In one swift motion, Thomas grabbed Mimikyu and placed him on the ground with a smile.

"Sorry, but we have to get going. Stay safe."

Mimikyu watched Thomas sprint out of the ship to catch up with Grovyle and Louise, and it turned around to shimmy back into the darkness. The second Mimikyu turned its back to him, Thomas turned around to wave, but he stopped when he couldn't see the aforementioned Pokemon.

Spinning on his heels with a sigh, Thomas welcomed the sight of Golurk, who was wrapping up his stretching routine. When it did, the manmade Pokemon extended its hands towards Louise and Thomas. Golurk, for whatever reason, pulled his arms back and looked off into the distance. Then, Thomas felt something run into his leg.

He glanced over his shoulder and gaped when he saw Mimikyu standing a few feet away. An arm made of shadows appeared from underneath its cloth, which it used to take Thomas' hoodie off and hand it back to the trainer. Upon doing so, Mimikyu's eyes shifted back and forth between Thomas and the sun, hissing every time he looked at the latter.

"You need to go back inside before-"

"Kyu."

Mimikyu extended another shadow arm towards Thomas, and it tapped one of the empty Poke Balls on his belt. Suddenly, the masked Pokemon disappeared inside it, leaving Thomas stupefied while Louise scratched her head.

"Now that I think about it, there wasn't a single Pokemon in that place other than Mimikyu. Shouldn't there have been something that like, was washed up here?"

Thomas shrugged, though the more he thought about it, he realized Louise was right. There had to have been at least one Pokemon living there other than Mimikyu, yet there wasn't any evidence to back up the claim. What were the odds?

* * *

 **Well, that was fun. First, I completely forgot what this chapter was supposed to be about so I assumed it was some reflecting up to that point, but then I looked at the outline and whaddaya know? I was 3,000 words in without actually starting. Even so, I like that the pacing of this chapter was different and that I didn't jump right into the plot. Anyhow... Tom caught a Mimikyu that was the only Pokemon living in the abandoned ship, and it seemed to take a liking to him pretty quickly. Next chapter will focus on Thomas and Louise trying to escape The Trickhouse, which is just a giant deathtrap. Till next time, peace out.**

 **1\. Do you prefer chapters that dive right into the plot? Or would you rather have the beginning build into it?  
2\. Thoughts on the addition of Mimikyu? (Not in terms of character, rather based on what Thomas said the team was lacking)**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Trickhouse Trials"**_

 _ **Thomas and Louise continue towards Mauville City, but when a storm rolls in they take shelter in an odd house. The two are soon forced to complete The Trickhouse's obstacles, all of which put their lives in danger! Can they, along with their Pokemon, escape?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc:** **Mauville City**

 **Chapter 20: Angel or Demon?  
Chapter 21: The Color Crew Assembles** **  
** **Chapter 22: Regaining Rhythm  
** **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough** **  
** **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives** **  
Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	19. Trickhouse Trials

**Hello again, everyone. Hopefully life's treating y'all well, but if it's not, keep your chin up! Motivational (if you could even call it that) intro aside, it's time for another update! Last chapter Thomas couldn't buy a ticket to Slateport for two weeks, and after he pointed out the major flaws with his team Louise showed up and offered to take him to Slateport. However, Tom had to search the abandoned ship to find a Pokemon she could catch, only to meet a Mimikyu that was far too low of a level for Louise. Since Mimikyu was the only inhabitant, Tom and Louise prepared to leave. Before they could, Mimikyu joined Thomas. The A/N's long so I'll stop here. Now let's get going!**

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _After talking to you and WoH, there should've been a lot more details and events put into the abandoned ship portion of the chapter, which I'll be sure to do from here on out. Louise is captain clutch, and shoutout to Golurk! If Louise does stick around, it'd be interesting to see how Tom handles communicating with another person for such long periods of time. And thanks! After rereading the story the only word I used to describe Thomas was aloof, so adding depth was of the utmost importance. Sure, he looks lazy, but appearances are only skin deep. I do plan to focus on the characteristics you mentioned, but I can't forget to acknowledge and flesh out his flaws. Having his lack of sleep bite him in the butt is a very good idea, and in regards to Mimikyu, he's a very, very odd character :P  
_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _After talking to you and Shadow, there should've been a lot more details and events put into the abandoned ship portion of the chapter,_ _which I'll be sure to do from here on out. The surge in production was an attempt at making up for two chapters in two months, and I plan on having most chapters (outside of Gyms and other battles) develop plot-wise since it seems like everyone prefers that. Mimikyu being the heavy-hitter isn't too far of a stretch, actually, but there's another capture down the road that's an absolute wrecking ball._

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Lol, I do too. Go lazy people! Still, Tom makes up for his aloofness by being pretty fricking smart. Him and Grovyle doing things in unison is more for the sake of showing how much progress they've made since meeting, and there's a lot to Mimikyu's character that will be revealed over time. Like you predicted, his presence will be crucial given how one-dimensional the team is, and I think he fits Tom's style perfectly._

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Thanks! That entire scene just kind of... happened, haha. And I like that you mentioned him being different than Owen and Gray, because that was my goal when I first started planning this story. As for Mimikyu, all I can say is that he's going to add a much needed element to the team._

 **3-E Student:** _Yup. The original plan was to have Thomas' boat crash and then he'd swim to the abandoned ship, but then he wouldn't have been able to leave. Mimikyu did take a liking to Tom, probably because it had been alone for so long. And you should be glad Mimikyu isn't lonely! He's one of my favorite characters (out of the seven Pokemon on Tom's team), and I have a strong feeling y'all will love him. Probably not right off the bat, but in time._

 **Blaze Falcon:** _Good to see you're still alive. I'm not sure what you mean by learning about the ship's secret, but Mimikyu is a pretty slick guy. He'll also be a boon to the team, and I really can't wait to write some battles with him (Disguise will be used)._

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 20, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 18, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
** **Mimikyu, (m), level 17, Astonish, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak*** **  
**

* * *

Thunder rolled as dark gray clouds covered the sky. The long, drawn out sound sent a flock of Taillow into a frenzy while other Pokemon - Zigzagoon, Electrike, and Oddish made up the majority - scampered into the woods for shelter. If they were aware of the two trainers walking down Route 110, all of the wild Pokemon did a helluva job convincing them otherwise. Likewise, neither trainer showed even the slightest bit of interest in capturing one of the Pokemon, as they protected themselves from the rain and sped down the road.

The trainer on the right glowered more and more after each step he took. Every so often he'd glance at the woman by his side - or she'd be ahead, which angered him - and shake his head, turning to gaze at the lake on his other side shortly thereafter. Tentacool popped their heads out of the water and stared at the young man for a moment before submerging, never to be seen again. He continued to stare at the body of water and sighed, but the sound of a familiar voice snapped his focus.

"Pick up the pace, Thomas!"

Thomas took his eyes off the water and glared at the speaker, who was about twenty feet ahead of him. She waved for him to hurry, but Thomas opted to slow down and look at the clouds overhead. He could hear Louise's foot tapping against the ground, but the sound left his ears the moment he caught up.

"Why are you always walking so slow? I didn't think we'd ever make it out of Slateport!" Louise shouted.

She crossed her arms, but it wasn't like Thomas could tell. He kept staring at the clouds.

"You can go ahead if it's a problem," he said while yawning. "We aren't traveling together anyway."

The younger trainer removed his hands from the pocket of his sweatshirt and put his hood up as a gust of wind blew. He continued strolling down the road in silence before a barrage of raindrops struck his head. Thomas leaned back to stare at the dark clouds as raindrops exploded against his face. He smiled to himself and inhaled deeply, but he groaned when Louise caught up and tapped him on the shoulder.

Thomas turned and raised an eyebrow.

"You're a lot grouchier than I remember."

She flashed a cheeky grin as soon as Thomas shook his head and went back to looking at the storm clouds.

"Hey, do you remember the deal we made back in Rustboro City?" Louise inquired.

Although it didn't seem like Thomas was going to answer the question, Louise didn't ask a second time. She could see him squint and move his jaw from side to side until he took his backpack off. Thomas immediately retrieved a rectangular black case and handed it to Louise.

The young woman opened it and saw two badges resting inside. There were still six empty spots remaining, though Louise ignored them in favor of staring at the first badge. After touching the piece of metal, she smiled, closed the case, and handed it back to Thomas, who shoved it in his backpack. His eyes never left the road, causing Louise to sweat-drop.

 _I really thought he'd be a chipper guy,_ the purple-haired trainer thought to herself. _If we talk about stuff he likes, I'm sure he'll lighten up!_

Louise rubbed her hands together like a bad guy in a cartoon after coming up with a bunch of questions, and she poked Thomas' shoulder once again.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Well, since we're still a few hours out from Mauville, I figured we could get to know each other a little bit."

Louise waited for a response - he could've said anything, really - but Thomas didn't play along. He seemed to lift his head a bit, as if his mind was wandering off. Whatever it was that had piqued his interest also interested the older trainer - even though it was for a different reason, Louise didn't care.

"What's on your mind?"

"Stuff."

"Stuff? What kind of stuff?"

"Nothing."

A deadpan expression stretched across Louise's face while Thomas looked to his left and right and yawned, yet the former remained determined. Once she composed herself and took a few seconds to breathe, the young woman brought her hand to her chin and put her brain to work.

 _He's not going to come right out and tell me a bunch of stuff, so I'll have to talk in a way that makes him feel comfortable._

"If it's about the Mauville City Gym, I suggest you skip it and go to Lavaridge Town," she said without looking in Thomas' direction.

The Alolan glanced at Louise and kept her in-sight as he waited for an explanation. A few seconds later he turned and nearly stopped walking. She had him - hook, line, and sinker.

"Why?"

Just like he had done to her, Louise walked on ahead and refused to look back, forcing the younger trainer to match her speedy pace. Once she saw that Thomas caught up, Louise covered the grin on her face. The Alolan continued staring, prompting Louise to answer.

"Your team as of right now is Grovyle, Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu, right?"

Thomas nodded.

"It's an Electric-type Gym. You'll get slaughtered the second you step foot in there, plus all of your Pokemon are under-leveled."

Louise turned to face Thomas, but he was too busy jotting something down in his notebook to notice her. After managing to put the book inside his backpack, the Alolan shifted his attention to Louise. She watched as Thomas' mouth moved, but no sound followed and it stopped. He tried to speak a second time, but just like before, he couldn't formulate any words.

"Are you okay?"

The young woman reached out for Thomas' hand, but she jumped back when he spun to face her.

"Do you know any good places me and my Pokemon can train?" he asked as Louise put her hand over her chest and let out a deep sigh.

"That's not the main issue-"

"We'll have to overcome type-disadvantages at some point," Thomas said, stopping Louise mid-sentence. "The training's mainly to get a gauge of how Mimikyu battles, but having them gain a few levels wouldn't hurt."

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, grabbing Thomas' undivided attention. Moments later, thunder boomed in the distance, causing Louise to jump almost five feet high while Thomas looked back in Slateport City's direction. They had been on the road for seven, maybe eight hours, so the storm would most likely be over by the time they'd reach the Pokemon Center. He then stared out towards Mauville City which, like Louise said, was still several hours away. They were screwed regardless of which way they went, or so was the case until Thomas had the greatest idea in the history of the world.

"Have Golurk fly us to Mauville!"

Louise turned to him and shook her head immediately.

"I'm not having it fly when there's lightning! How stupid are you?!"

Thomas sweat-dropped. Maybe his idea wasn't as great as he initially believed. The sky flashed and thunder boomed again, forcing Thomas to act according to his gut. He grabbed Louise by the hand and took off towards Mauville City, scanning his surroundings for shelter. In a matter of minutes, he had reached the end of the road and would've been faced with the decision of making a left or right had it not been for a house. The location - being at a fork in the road - was odd, to say the least, but he didn't care. All Thomas could think about was getting himself and Louise of the rain, so he sprinted towards the front door and slammed his fist against it.

The door swung open, and there stood a bald, middle-aged man decked out in blue camouflage pajamas, which were too small so his gut was exposed. Thomas and Louise stared at the man, and the man stared at them. Nobody moved a muscle, at least until the thunder sounded like an explosion and Louise shrieked.

"Sir, would you please let us stay in your house until the storm dies down?" Thomas asked, his grip on Louise's hand tightening. The young woman's eyes shifted focus from the pajama-clad stranger to Thomas' hand.

The presumed owner of the home looked at Thomas and Louise with a blank expression before motioning for them to enter. Thomas bowed before stepping foot inside, and he flinched immediately after doing so. There was only one room, which had a Japanese-styled table - the kind you had to sit on the floor to eat at - and green tiles scattered across the floor.

What caught Thomas' attention, and then Louise's once she was inside, was the scroll hanging on the wall straight ahead. It had to have been six - maybe seven feet long. That wasn't the only odd thing, though. For whatever reason, the man who allowed them inside ran over to a corner and stood behind a potted tree, poking his head out from behind it every few seconds as if he were spying on the trainers.

Louise and Thomas looked at each other for a moment before the former said, "Uh, what are you doing behind that tree?"

The man jumped out into the open and slapped his hands against his fat, pale face. "Great googly moogly! How did you know I concealed myself behind that tree?"

The two trainers sweat-dropped as the middle-aged man stared at them, his eyelids no longer visible. Before either Thomas or Louise could react, the man bolted towards them and placed his hands on their heads while closing his eyes. He then began humming, which turned into him screaming like a banshee.

"The spirits have decided me being spotted was merely a fluke, so, as The Trick Master, I must issue you both another challenge!"

Once the man took his sweaty hands off of their heads, Thomas and Louise began to backpedal.

"Sorry, but we really need to get going. We forgot our friend was going to the bathroom-"

"STOP!"

The duo covered their ears closed their eyes for a second, and when they turned around to exit the room, they saw the man blocking the exit, his right eye twitching.

He then leaned forward and whispered, "If you leave The Trick House, the spirits will order me to kill you."

Thomas and Louise remained silent as the man winked and put his finer up to his lips before continuing.

"So if you complete this challenge, your reward will be all of the money on that table."

Following the soaking, pudgy finger's guidance, Louise and Thomas gaped at the ten stacks of money, each a foot tall, resting on the table. The trainers only took one step each before being grabbed by their arms and spun around by the middle-aged man, who nearly his face up against both of theirs.

"Your challenges lie just beyond that scroll. And don't cheat, otherwise..." His voice drifted as he looked up at the ceiling.

Thomas and Louise kept their mouths shut as they were guided towards the scroll. The man lifted it, revealing a large hole in the wall, and then he shoved them through it. Both trainers landed on their faces as they heard the sound of a door slamming shut, and when they sat up, they saw that the hole had been sealed off by some sort of metal. There was no way out.

"What the hell did we just get into?" Louise asked as she brushed the dirt off her clothes. "More importantly, how are we getting out of here?!"

Thomas stroked his chin while examining the environment. He and Louise were standing on a green-tiled floor, but their view of the rest of the room was blocked by a gigantic wall that boxed them in. Steel bars stood atop the wall, and a sheet of steel was welded to the tops of each bar, making it seem like they were trapped in a cage. After a few more seconds of looking around, Thomas spotted a door built into the corner of the wall.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!"

The Alolan rubbed his ears as they rang and then turned to Louise, who was inches away from his face. Her face was flush while her eyes darted from left to right. She was scared, obviously. Who wouldn't be? Thomas turned away from her and cussed at the thought. He was scared too, but he had to keep his composure. After all, level heads prevailed.

"There's a door over there," he said, ignoring the question altogether while reaching for a Poke Ball on his belt. "Fletchling, come out."

In a flash of light, Fletchling emerged from the Poke Ball and flew around his trainer's head. Once he landed on the Alolan's shoulder, Fletchling looked around the room and scratched his head.

"Boss, what's da deal?"

"I need you to fly to the top and check for what's ahead, and if there's an exit."

Thomas pointed towards the ceiling and watched his Pokemon ascend and poke his head out of the cage. He scanned everything below, only to shake his head and swoop down to Thomas' side.

"I can't see nothin', Boss. Ain't no way, neitha."

Thomas sighed, but he turned when Louise released a Pokemon of her own. It was Gengar, who did the same thing as Fletchling, except she attempted to squeeze through the bars. A wave of electricity suddenly zapped Gengar, who fell to the ground limply. Louise rushed to her partner's side and noticed sparks dancing across Gengar's body.

"Are you okay?" she asked, placing a hand on the Pokemon's head. With the help of her trainer, Gengar rose to her feet and nodded as more sparks flashed around her. "How do we get out of here?"

"We have to go through that door and complete this challenge." Thomas turned to Louise and Gengar. "The Trick Master said that, after all. So let's go."

The Alolan waited for Louise to withdraw Gengar before he headed for the door with Fletchling on his shoulder. Once the three were there, Thomas opened the door and stepped through it. Louise followed him shortly thereafter and looked around the new room with the younger trainer, staring wide-eyed at what lied before them.

A narrow walkway stretched across the room while a seemingly bottomless pit sat on either side of it. Axe-like blades swung back and forth across the walkway while metal spikes shot out of the tiles every couple of seconds, causing Louise's and Fletchling's jaws to hit the floor. Thomas stared wide-eyed for a moment before taking out his notebook, which drew a pair of baffled looks from his Pokemon and companion.

"What are you doing?!" Louise screamed, only for Thomas to lift his index finger, telling her to wait a second.

The young woman pulled at her hair until Thomas stopped scribbling down notes and turned to face her.

"I'm seeing how long it takes for that blade to reach the walkway, how often the spikes come out, and if they overlap."

"Why? Can't ya just get dat freaky robot ta fly youse two across?" Fletchling asked his trainer, who went back to writing down notes while Louise released Golurk - or, according to Fletchling, the freaky robot.

"Golurk, I need you to fly us across the walkway-"

Louise stopped talking when she watched Thomas grab a pencil from his backpack and hurl it towards the other end of the room. The moment it reached its apex, a beam of energy struck it, turning the pencil to dust. Thomas then turned to see Golurk disappear back inside its Poke Ball, Louise sitting down shortly afterwards. She hugged her knees and buried her face, rocking back and forth until a series of lights flashed in front of her.

Standing in front of her - from left to right - were Grovyle, Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu. The two in the middle turned and gaped at the sight of their newest teammate while Grovyle, on the other hand, tilted her head.

"Thomas?"

"What?"

"When did you catch Mimikyu?"

"Right before we left the ship. Why?"

The answer arrived in a heartbeat, as Mimikyu scurried away from his teammates and hid behind Thomas, hissing as he did so. The trainer bent over and patted his newest Pokemon on the head while his three others kept their distance. Once Thomas was facing them, he pushed Mimikyu forwards with a smile.

"Oh yeah, I never introduced you guys to him. This is Mimikyu, and he's going to be a big help to us-"

Suddenly, Mimikyu's neck snapped and his head fell back limply, eliciting a scream from Grovyle as she bolted across the walkway and reached the other side - somehow that went unnoticed. Fletchling and Slowpoke ran towards their new teammate after Thomas fixed his neck and extended a hand each - or a wing and tail, in their cases. The cloaked Pokemon's beady eyes locked onto the limbs aimed his way for what felt like hours. Slowly, Mimikyu lifted his head and examined both Slowpoke and Fletchling, who were beginning to scowl.

"Da hell's wrong wit dis guy, Boss? His brain ain't no good, right? Dat must be it."

As he eyed Thomas, Fletchling continued to hold his wing out. He didn't notice the shadow creeping out from underneath Mimikyu's rag, at least until it grabbed and slammed him against the ground over and over again. The beatdown ended just as quickly as it started when Thomas grabbed Mimikyu and spun him around.

"Why did you do that?"

The Alolan Pokemon stared into his trainer's eyes. Thomas remained silent, waiting for an answer along with Fletchling and Slowpoke, the latter of whom was wiping tears from her eyes because she had laughed so hard.

"It was retaliation for calling me mentally impaired."

Mimikyu then looked at Fletchling and pointed the shadow - which had taken the shape of an arm - at him. The robin narrowed his eyes and glared in response.

"Take that as a warning."

"You betta watch yaself, Puppet. We's could be ya woist enemies."

Fletchling pointed to Slowpoke and Grovyle, or at least where the gecko had been standing. Everyone walked around their little area, searching high and low for Grovyle, but they couldn't find her. Slowpoke sighed and gazed out across the room where she saw her teammate sitting against the wall. Her eyes followed the swinging blades from left to right, left to right, left to right.

"Grovyle!"

The gecko recoiled upon hearing her name and met Slowpoke's gaze.

"How the hell did you get over there?" Slowpoke asked as everyone gathered around her.

"I ran when Mimikyu's neck snapped."

Thomas, Fletchling, and Slowpoke deadpanned, but it didn't seem as if Grovyle noticed. Mimikyu suddenly stepped in front of the group, his black eyes examining the deathtrap before him. His teammates, Louise, and Thomas gasped when he stepped onto the walkway, and before anyone could try to stop him, a dozen Mimikyu clones appeared. They stretched all the way to the other side of the room and Mimikyu hopped from one to the other until he reached Grovyle's side, leaving everyone in shock.

The rag-wearing creature motioned for the others to follow him, prompting Slowpoke to run forward and hop from one clone to another. Just like Mimikyu, she crossed the walkway without problem and joined her aforementioned teammate, as well as Grovyle. Fletchling was the next to go, but the first clone he stepped on vanished due to the spikes shooting out of the floor and piercing it. He flapped his wings, keeping himself up just long enough for Grovyle to use Double Team and create clones of herself.

"Nice goin', Dollface!"

The Flying-type flashed a toothy grin and reached the middle of the walkway, and the second he took a step forward, the swinging blade grazed his leg. Fletchling recoiled but shook off the wound by hopping on one leg, though that alone wasn't enough. Each time Fletchling jumped Grovyle's clones threw him forward, increasing the length of his leap by several yards. Seconds later he reached the other end of the walkway and turned with a smile that stretched across his face.

Grovyle and Mimikyu used Double Team and got both trainers across the walkway in no time, though Louise's perception of time was much, much different than reality. Kneeling on the ground, she muttered, "I can't believe we made it."

Moments later, Louise raised her head to see Thomas - with his hands in the pocket of his hoodie - stroll towards a door. Grovyle grabbed the handle and held the door open until everyone walked through, and the second she stepped foot in the other room the door slammed shut on its own, a thick sheet of metal covering it for added protection.

The decorations in the room were nearly identical to those of the previous two, though unlike the second room the floor remained intact. Louise breathed a sigh of relief before looking around to see what kind of deathtrap awaited her and Thomas. Nothing stood out, though. It seemed like they were in an ordinary room.

"I bet that everyone that comes here gets chopped up in that other room, so that psycho didn't put anything in here since no one's made it this far!" the woman exclaimed.

She took one step forward and prepared to take another, but Thomas' arm shot out to the side and prevented Louise from moving ahead. Louise raised an eyebrow as Thomas continued to survey the area, stroking his chin as he did so. His four Pokemon, meanwhile, stood back and kept quiet, prompting Louise to do the same.

"There has to be something in here. The Trick Master said 'challenges' not challenge, right?"

Thomas glanced over his shoulder only to turn his attention back to the room after he saw Louise nod.

"What the hell could it be?"

Thomas kept talking to himself as he tapped the wall to the left of the way he, Louise, and his Pokemon had walked in. The solid sound caused him to smirk and then point at the green tiles covering the floor.

"Did you find out what it is?" Slowpoke asked.

"Use Bullet Seed on some of the tiles at the other end," Thomas said to Grovyle, ignoring the question as usual.

Grovyle jumped and shot a flurry of solar bullets at the tiles furthest from her and the others. Much to everyone's surprise - except Thomas and Mimikyu - several explosions went off, shattering the tiles and throwing them in every direction. The explosions continued to go off domino-effect-style, though that didn't stop Louise from staring at Thomas, who covered his mouth while yawning.

How did he even think of landmines? Very few people in the world would've had the same thought as the Alolan, and even fewer would've done it as fast as him. Thomas slowly turned to face the group and acted as a wall of sorts, keeping them from charging ahead despite some protests from Fletchling.

"There could still be some explosives left, just wait a little longer," Thomas told Fletchling, who scowled but obeyed. "Do you have any Pokemon that can use Psychic, Louise? We could use that to destroy any remaining landmines."

The older trainer shook her head and caught a glimpse of the metal-covered door, which gave her an idea.

"Froslass, I need your help!"

Louise extended her arm straight ahead while Froslass' Poke Ball snapped open. Light poured out of the device and a humanoid Pokemon appeared and floated in the air. Its body looked like a white kimono, which covered its tiny torso and purple face. Two arms hung from the creature's head, and it tightened the red bow around its waist.

Thomas pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the foreign Pokemon as his team huddled around to hear the information.

"Froslass, the Snow Land Pokemon, and the evolved form of Snorunt. It freezes foes with an icy breath nearly negative sixty degrees Fahrenheit. What seems to be its body is actually hollow."

Mimikyu was the only one that didn't shiver at the statement. In fact, the tiny Pokemon squinted his eyes and examined the floating ghost until she looked his way. The moment she did, Mimikyu's neck gave out and his head smacked against the floor, though that didn't get a reaction out of Froslass, as she had already turned her attention to Louise.

"What's up?" the Ice-type asked.

"Can you cover the floor with a sheet of ice?"

Froslass nodded and tilted her head back as a light blue orb formed in front of her mouth. Throwing her head forwards while firing a zigzagging beam of energy at the floor, Froslass managed to create a thick layer of ice that was several inches thick. The sheer frigidness of the attack was powerful enough to deactivate any landmines that were still active, prompting Thomas, Louise, and their Pokemon to hurry for the other door.

The second everyone stepped foot in the third room a thick layer of metal covered the door behind them just like the other rooms. They had grown used to the sound of their exit being sealed off, as they no longer recoiled - Louise had withdrawn Froslass, otherwise she would've screamed in shock. Everyone was too preoccupied looking at what lied ahead, or at least they gave the impression. In fact the only one that didn't glance at Thomas was Mimikyu, though nobody noticed.

Hundreds of black circles firing lasers were drilled into the walls on either side of the group. There might have been, at most, three inches between each laser.

"What are we waiting for? Let's just walk across and get to the other side." Slowpoke waited for Thomas to agree, but he didn't.

Louise's eyes darted back and forth from Thomas to the lasers more times than she could count before asking, "You don't think we'll get hurt if we touch those lasers, do you, Thomas?"

The aforementioned trainer reached into his backpack and pulled out a pencil, drawing confused expressions from everyone but Mimikyu - nothing seemed to faze him. Thomas lazily threw it across the room and sighed when the laser sliced the pencil upon contact.

"This is going to be tough," he muttered while sitting down. "Do you have any Pokemon that can make a wall of rock?"

Louise shook her head, eliciting a groan from the younger trainer.

"How can anyone bigger than an ant get through this?" Grovyle wondered aloud as she leaned forward to get a better view of the distance between each red beam. "Can't Froslass just freeze those things on the walls?"

Acting on Grovyle's question, Louise reached for her Pokemon's Poke Ball. Before the young women could summon her Pokemon Thomas rose from his seat and examined the black device.

"Not a chance. These were made by Unova United, which is the number one security system and equipment manufacturer in the world," he stated.

"What makes ya say dat?"

"Back in Alola my house had all of their products."

"So? What's dat gotta do wit da freaky ghost freezin' em?"

"I've been around the equipment almost my entire life, so I know the lasers will burn through ice faster than you could think."

Slowpoke snickered. "That isn't saying much. His head's empty."

"Da hell's dat supposed ta mean?!" Fletchling hollered as he slammed his head against Slowpoke's.

Thomas, Grovyle, and Louise sweat-dropped as the squabble raged on while Mimikyu was busy inspecting the lasers. He turned away for a second and watched Grovyle separate Slowpoke and Fletchling with some help from Louise. Mimikyu shook his head at the sight, moving away from the lasers until he noticed Thomas sitting against the door, his emerald eyes bouncing from one thing to another. Even amid the chaos he kept his focus. Plus there was the pressure of everyone relying on- no, expecting him to find a way out of the situation completely unscathed.

The cloth-covered Pokemon looked back at Fletchling and Slowpoke. How, in a situation like the one they were in at the moment, were they so useless? Then he eyed Louise and Grovyle, both of whom played some role in getting through the previous obstacles. And even though their contributions paled in comparison to Thomas', at least they had the decency to keep their mouths shut.

 _I can't be lumped in the same category as those idiots,_ Mimikyu thought as he shifted his gaze from the screaming Pokemon back to the lasers.

Suddenly, a shadow formed around his feet and he disappeared. Moments later Mimikyu resurfaced, and he had cleared the lasers just like he planned. Disappearing in the enlarged shadow once again, Mimikyu returned to the others and scurried over to his trainer.

Thomas broke his gaze to look at Mimikyu, forcing a smile as he placed a hand on his Pokemon's head.

"Don't worry, I'll get us out of this."

Mimikyu stared at his trainer before he jolted upright due to his mind being elsewhere. A shadow emerged from underneath his cloth, which he used to point at the lasers while backpedaling. Thomas leaned forward and rested his head against his hand before Mimikyu spun to face the obstacle. The Ghost-type disappeared inside his own shadow and reappeared on the other side.

When Mimikyu returned Thomas jogged over and patted him on the head with a relieved smile.

"Thank you so much."

Thomas had spoken so quietly, saying he had whispered would've been an epic overstatement. Even so, Mimikyu heard his trainer and nodded before Thomas called for the others.

To save time and Mimikyu's energy Thomas withdrew the three other members of his team. Two trips later he, Mimikyu, and Louise had reached the door. Louise opened the door and walked into the next room, or at least what she thought was going to be another room.

Thomas scratched his head the moment he saw a narrow hallway instead of the room he had become all too familiar with. Was this some different kind of obstacle he and Louise had to clear?

He didn't have time to think of another question, as Mimikyu pulled him into his shadow and zipped down the hallway. They arrived at the end of the hallway where a scroll hung in place of a door, and by the time Thomas had taken a step toward it, Mimikyu had already brought Louise along.

Once he was within an arm's reach of the scroll, Thomas stopped and took a deep breath.

 _I hope this is the exit. Please, please be the exit,_ he thought.

With that, Thomas lifted the scroll and walked into the next area, but he froze in an instant. Mimikyu and Louise followed after him, and she would've fainted had the Ghost-type not caught her. They were in the room where she and Thomas had met The Trick Master, who, for whatever reason, stared at them while standing behind a tree. The sight of his massive gut gave both Thomas and Louise the chills.

Suddenly, he jumped out from his hiding spot and exclaimed, "Great googly moogly! You two have passed! That can't be!"

Neither trainer made a sound, nor did they move. Mimikyu took note of that, oblivious to Thomas' or Louise's sense of fear.

"The spirits... the spirits were right about you two."

The large man shook his head, but he whipped his neck so that he could stare at both trainers. His right eye started twitching, piquing Mimikyu's curiosity. Just what was going on in that mind? Thomas had the complete opposite reaction, as his heart rate spiked with each second that went by.

"You've made a fool out of me! I'm going to kill you!"

The greasy man took another step forward, prompting Thomas to turn towards the front door as slowly as he could. After a quick look over, he grabbed Louise's arm and bolted.

Defying all odds with the reflexes of a cat, The Trick Master charged forward and grabbed Louise by the wrist. The sudden stop caused Thomas to lose his grip and fall backwards. Louise backed away from the man and jerked her arm in an attempt to break free, but it didn't work. She closed her eyes for maybe two seconds before feeling like she was being thrown to the ground.

Thomas and The Trick Master hit the floor, though the latter shrugged off the pain and lunged at the younger man. His hands clamped around Thomas' throat, and he pressed all of his weight down when Thomas tried to push his hands away. One second he couldn't see anything, then the next second Louise was reaching for his hand. Thomas blinked a few times before his sight returned for good, but when it did he saw Mimikyu holding the The Trick Master back with a shadow from underneath his cloak.

"Go," was all he said, and quite casually at that.

Louise and Thomas dashed for the door and ran outside into the pouring rain. They took shelter in the forest off to the side of The Trick House but stopped after running for what felt like ten minutes. Thomas finally stopped and leaned against a tree to catch his breath, causing Louise to turn around. Her eyes darted every which way even after sitting down against a tree next to Thomas, who also scanned the area.

Suddenly the young man started jogging in the direction of The Trick House.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"I can't leave Mimikyu behind."

Even though he looked back at Louise, Thomas didn't break stride and somehow kept from crashing into a tree or tripping over a root. The elder trainer hurried after him and, eventually, they ran up to the front of the house. Both stood completely still, as their attention was drawn to the darkness beyond the open door.

After taking a deep breath Thomas walked towards the opening, but he stopped the moment Mimikyu appeared. Then he ran, picked Mimikyu up, and hugged him.

"What happened? Did you get hurt?" Thomas asked, looking over the Ghost-type after placing him back on the ground.

"Let's go."

Mimikyu strolled away from the house, leaving Louise and his trainer in silence. The sound of thunder rolling brought them back to reality, and as soon as they remembered where they were, Thomas and Louise ran after Mimikyu, unaware of what the Pokemon did.

 **000**

The walls were painted red with various body parts scattered across the floor of The Trick House, and everything else in the room had been destroyed. One of the legs of the table had pierced through the floor, and something was mounted at the top of it: The Trick Master's head.

* * *

 **Well that took a while. To recap, Thomas and Louise were forced into completing The Trick Master's challenge, which was a giant deathtrap. Thomas led the way through the first two obstacles, and when everyone was stumped by the third, Mimikyu came to the rescue and guided them to the finish line. Tom and Louise then fled the Trickhouse while Mimikyu stayed behind, and, after they returned, Mimikyu emerged unscathed. The same can't be said about The Trick Master though.  
Next chapter will focus on Mimikyu doing some whacky things that may or may not cause some chaos, so that should be fun. Till next time, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Angel or Demon?"**_

 _ **Thomas and Louise arrive in Mauville City and split up to relax and train, respectively. However, none of Thomas' Pokemon want to sit around so they go out and explore the city, which becomes a nightmare when Mimikyu raises hell at every turn. What kind of trouble will he get himself and his teammates into?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc:** **Mauville City**

 **Chapter 21: The Color Crew Assembles** **  
** **Chapter 22: Regaining Rhythm  
** **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough** **  
** **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives** **  
Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	20. Angel or Demon?

**Greetings, readers. I'm not sure what else to say, so time for the recap. Last chapter involved Thomas and Louise taking shelter in The Trick House, where they were forced into completing a series of deadly obstacles or else, ya know, they'd die. Thomas got them through the first two, and when even he couldn't think of a way to clear the third Mimikyu stepped up to the plate (but then he murdered The Trick Master, but whatevs).  
The plot for this chapter was tweaked a bit, but Mimikyu will still be wreaking havoc, which I hope y'all enjoy. Now let's get going!**

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Yah, I always thought The Trick Master was a bit off, so why not make him a lunatic? If she's around, Louise would try to bring Thomas out of his shell, and Lisia, as well as Aiden and Ashley, may travel with Tom for a bit, though they're still his rivals. As for Mimikyu, he's similar to Thomas in that they're unflappable, but that's about it since, ya know, he killed a guy. That's great to hear, and thanks! Kanto Adventure was awful, but at least I'm nowhere near as bad as I once was xD And the battle between Thomas and Ashley... I don't like to toot my own horn, but I think there are a lot of great things about it, which you'll see soon enough!_

 **BouncingFish:** _Lol._ _"Hey, that's mildly adequate!" would suffice as well. Thanks, by the way. I was pretty worried with how it turned out (you already know that, but I digress), so I'm happy to see you and Phantom enjoyed it. Thomas and Mimikyu certainly did the heavy-lifting, and Mimikyu is just a wee bit off... okay, he's insane. Anyone who gets on his bad side (which, in all likelihood, will happen) should sleep with one eye open._

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Ah, summer courses. They're the bane of my existence, though hopefully you're doing well xD Mimikyu's presence is going to really shake up the team's dynamic, and he's very strong (as you pointed out). Thomas' refusal to open up could be a result of what happened in his past - good guess, by the way - but you'll just have to wait and see :P I really, really like that you brought up the similarities between Mimikyu and The Trick Master! Hopefully you weren't the only one to recognize that, since I wanted to show Mimikyu's character without necessarily saying it. And you're on your way, good sir. I can't wait to see how in-depth they get!_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Haha, Mimikyu is kinda creepy. If you pay very close attention to what he does this chapter, there are some hints as to why he's like that. The Trick Master was a lunatic, yeah, and I'm with you in his demise being justified (also, good point about other people dying there). Interactions with Mimikyu will be... odd, to say the least. I'd love to elaborate, but that would spoil the fun :P_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 20, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 18, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
** **Mimikyu, (m), level 17, Astonish, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak*** **  
**

* * *

"Wow! Mauville City's beautiful, don't you think?"

Louise turned and waited for an answer - a simple 'yes' or nod of the head would've sufficed. Thomas, however, yawned and kept scribbling notes in his journal, ignoring the older girl even as her glare intensified. Although they were near the outskirts of the city, they were at least able to make out some of the smaller buildings that would've otherwise been invisible.

"I think so too," said Grovyle as she smiled at Louise. "It looks so much sleeker than Rustboro City."

That was true. The buildings, at least the ones the group could see, had been made almost entirely of glass and were smoother in shape than the archaic, rock-themed ones in Rustboro. Throw in the neon-colored lights emitted from the buildings, and the city looked like it had been ripped out of a sci-fy movie.

"Architectural modernism's overrated."

Thomas closed his journal and put it away in his backpack before eyeing Louise.

The young woman put her hands on her hips and grinned slyly, saying, "So you _can_ talk," which drew laughs from both Grovyle and Gengar.

"Sarcasm's overrated; it's the least clever form of humor," Thomas retorted, his eyes returning to the road as he walked towards Mauville City.

All of the girls looked at one another and then at Thomas, who walked along as if nothing happened.

"What crawled up his butt and died?" Gengar asked rhetorically as she, her trainer, and Grovyle resumed their trek.

The gecko took another glance at her trainer and watched him put his hood up and bury his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. She sighed, but then her focus shifted to Gengar.

"This is just how he acts around new people."

The Ghost-type and her trainer raised an eyebrow in unison.

"He was kind of distant when I met him, and then to Fletchling and Slowpoke after he caught them," Grovyle said, remembering each of the events. "It'll take some time for him to open up."

Louise smiled at the Pokemon and nodded while Gengar shrugged. The former kept her eyes on Thomas, though she didn't say another word.

It took a few hours to arrive get to the Pokemon Center, and when they finally did, Thomas immediately got a room for himself. He soon learned, however, that it was a suite with two bedrooms, meaning he had to share the living space with Louise.

"Oh don't be such a downer, Thomas!" the young woman exclaimed as she followed him to the room with Gengar and Grovyle in tow.

Thomas' scowl grew as he unlocked the door and walked inside. He took two steps and saw the bathroom door on his right was open while the living room was straight ahead. Two doors were on the left and right ends of the space, which presumably led to the bedrooms. The seventeen-year-old headed for the one on the right - it just so happened to be isolated - and threw his backpack on the floor before releasing Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu from their Poke Balls.

Each of the Pokemon surveyed the room before Fletchling and Slowpoke rushed into the living space, leaving Mimikyu by himself. Thomas glanced down at him and smiled as he placed a hand on his head.

"Don't you want to hang out with them?"

The sound of glass shattering diverted Thomas' gaze, but Mimikyu didn't take his eyes off of his trainer. Would he rather spend time with the guy that kept to himself, or the lunatics he were deemed his teammates?

"No."

Mimikyu's flat response drew a quiet laugh from Thomas. He then laid down on the bed and yawned, prompting Mimikyu to pull himself up and face the door so that he could watch everything going on. Thomas cracked one eye open and sat up, which his Pokemon could sense despite not turning around.

"Keeping an eye out for me?" the trainer asked.

Once again, Mimikyu didn't respond quickly. In fact, he stood as still as a statue, though his eyes were shifting from one direction to the other. They eventually settled down and fixated on Grovyle when she took a seat on the couch, unaware of the attention she was receiving.

"Yes."

"You're not a fan of talking, are you?"

"No."

Getting Mimikyu to talk would've been like pulling teeth. It wasn't worth the hassle, nor did Thomas really _want_ to talk, so he laid back down and closed his eyes. He finally found a Pokemon with a personality like his, although compared to Mimikyu he was a social butterfly. Still, it was a nice contrast to the brashness of Slowpoke and Fletchling.

Thomas fell asleep in a matter of minutes, and when he did Mimikyu hopped off the bed and left the room, closing the door behind himself.

"Ay, Puppet! Get ovuh heah!"

Fletchling, who was perched on a bookshelf above the television, motioned for Mimikyu to join, so he did. He could feel Slowpoke and Grovyle watching him as he headed for the corner of the room, but he ignored them and took a seat. The second he did, a flurry of questions were sent his way.

"What's Thomas doing?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Want some chow?"

Mimikyu stared at his teammates, examining each of them - the way they were sitting, how they were looking at him, and where they were in relation to one another were just a few things - without making a sound. They couldn't see his beady black eyes bouncing around, so the questions were asked again.

"What's Thomas doing?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Want some chow?"

He still didn't respond, drawing an exasperated sigh from Slowpoke and a glare from Fletchling. Mimikyu took note of their reactions while Grovyle, on the other hand, shook her head at them and cleared her throat. Mimikyu locked his sights on her almost immediately after that, as did Fletchling and Slowpoke.

"Be patient. We can't ask him a bunch of questions and get angry when he doesn't answer," she said in a scolding manner. "He hasn't even known us for a week."

Mimikyu looked back and forth between the two other Pokemon, although no one seemed to notice.

Slowpoke hung her head and nodded before turning to her newest teammate, saying, "Sorry about that." Mimikyu nodded, drawing a smile from the Water-type.

"Yeah, we's didn't mean ta be rude ta ya, Puppet."

The only thing Mimikyu did was turn so that he was facing Fletchling, who kept smiling as if he had been forgiven. Ultimately, Mimikyu bit his tongue, nodded, and then went back to facing everyone.

"So, Mimikyu," Grovyle said as she looked at him, "do you know what Thomas is doing?"

Silence.

Grovyle deadpanned for a moment before deciding to ask him again. However, Mimikyu began to speak the second she opened her mouth.

"Sleeping."

Slowpoke groaned. "Aw man. I really wanted to check out the city."

"Dat ain't an issue. I can wake 'em up in no time flat," Fletchling proclaimed, putting his wing over his chest.

All of a sudden he took off for the door and pushed the handle with his talons, only to be grabbed by a shadow that had taken the shape of a hand. He, Slowpoke, and Grovyle stared at the shadow and followed it back to Mimikyu, who hadn't moved a muscle. Chills ran down their spines, but that didn't stop Fletchling from trying to break free of the shadow's hold. The hand tightened its grip, causing Fletchling to cry in pain.

"What are you doing?! Let go of him!" Slowpoke shouted as she hopped off the couch and charged.

Another shadow emerged from underneath Mimikyu's rag and rushed towards Slowpoke. Moments before they could collide, Slowpoke was stopped dead in her tracks by Grovyle's foot, which caught her by the head. As for the shadow, Grovyle held it down with both of her hands and her other foot, which captured Mimikyu's full attention.

"Let go of him, Mimikyu."

The docile look in Grovyle's eyes was long gone, having been replaced by one filled with blood-boiling rage. If that wasn't considered a warning, her tone sure as hell was. A smile formed on Mimikyu's face which, lucky for him, was hidden by the rag he donned.

Without so much as a word, Mimikyu released Fletchling from his grasp and the shadow went back under his rag, prompting Grovyle to let go of the other one, which disappeared just like the first. She then walked over to Fletchling and helped him off the ground, although Mimikyu noticed the fierceness in her eyes didn't go away.

"We're a team. Don't forget that."

Grovyle glared at each of the three Pokemon in the room before returning to her seat on the couch.

"So what are we going to do now that we know Thomas is asleep?" she asked, acting as if nothing happened.

Fletchling and Slowpoke exchanged glances and turned back to the gecko while shrugging. Mimikyu kept quiet, yet he wasn't able to take his eyes off of Grovyle, at least he couldn't until the door to Louise's room opened. The young woman and Gengar scanned the area for a moment until the former noticed all of the attention.

"Did something just happen out here?" she asked, causing Slowpoke's jaw to hit the floor. "Never mind, I don't care. Gengar and I are going out to train, so we'll be back really late tonight."

Gengar nodded as if she had to confirm her trainer's statements.

"See ya later!"

With that, the two walked out of the suite and closed the door behind them. The quartet of Pokemon took a moment to register what just happened, and when they did, they returned to the conversation that was interrupted.

"Does anyone have a suggestion?" Grovyle asked.

A few seconds of silence passed before she received an answer from Slowpoke.

"Why don't we explore the city?"

Grovyle stroked her chin and mulled over the idea while her teammates kept quiet. The odds of there being another suggestion - other than training, of course - were as close to zero as possible, so it was settled.

"Ain't no way Boss is gonna mind. Nothin' gets woiked up."

"You mean worked up, right?" Slowpoke interjected.

"Dat's what I said: woiked up."

Grovyle smacked herself in the forehead as the bickering duo headed for the door. She followed them, but stopped and faced Mimikyu, who still hadn't moved from his spot in the corner. They locked eyes as each thought about what the other did during the scuffle, which showed more on Grovyle's face than it did Mimikyu's - for obvious reasons.

 _There's no way Slowpoke would've overpowered him,_ she said mentally. _He's a lot stronger than he looks._

"You're coming with us," Grovyle stated. "You can learn more about us, and we can learn more about you."

She flinched when Mimikyu nodded right away - which made him smirk - and headed for the door. As the quiet Pokemon passed her, Grovyle felt an odd, intense pressure radiating from him. There was something off about Mimikyu, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

 **000**

"Gengar, use Shadow Punch!"

The aforementioned Pokemon hurled her right fist forwards, sending a larger, shadow-covered-version of her hand across the battlefield. Before the other trainer could so much as blink, the fist clobbered their Pokemon and exploded on impact. When it landed, the Manectric, whose hair covered its entire body rather than just its head and legs, let out a weak cry. Its eyes closed a second later and its appearance returned to that of a normal Manectric, prompting the referee to raise his arm.

"Manectric is unable to continue! That means the victory goes to the challenger, Louise!"

Louise stepped out of her trainer box and patted Gengar on the head despite the Pokemon's protesting.

"You were amazing, Gengar. Thank you."

"It's no big deal," Gengar replied once Louise stopped patting her head. "We've been training for a reason, right?" she asked, drawing a nod from her trainer.

They then turned their attention to the trainer walking towards them as he laughed and rubbed the back of his head. He was a rather heavy man, looking quite like Santa if he had a shorter beard. The man wore a brown Hawaiian t-shirt with electric bolts imprinted on it over a yellow jumpsuit, as well as a pair of sandals.

He continued to laugh quite heartily despite the fact that he lost, which Gengar rolled her eyes at. Sure, it was genuine laughter, but there was nothing funny about the battle, at least in her opinion.

Louise couldn't help but smile at the elder trainer, and once he reached her and Gengar, she bowed.

"That was a great battle, sir. Thank you."

The old man stopped laughing for a brief moment before erupting once again, further angering Gengar while Louise tilted her head.

"No need to be so humble, young lady. You came in here and kicked my butt like no one else has," he said, pointing at the scoreboard.

All three pictures of his Pokemon were black while Gengar's was the only one on Louise's and it remained lit up.

"Anyway, as proof of your victory, I, Wattson, present you with the Dynamo badge."

Wattson extended his hand, which had a tiny piece of metal resting in it. Louise took the yellow badge and examined it along with Gengar, both recognizing how it was shaped like a coiled wire. Louise reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and pulled out a badge case, which had two empty spots remaining once the Dynamo badge was added.

"Holy cow! You have six badges already?"

"Mhm. We haven't had the chance to visit Lavaridge Town or Petalburg City yet."

The elderly Gym Leader gaped, which went unnoticed by Louise and Gengar since they were already headed for the exit.

 **000**

Grovyle, Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu stepped outside of the Pokemon Center and looked to the right, where all of the biggest buildings were. Everything to the left was... underwhelming, to say the least. The fact that _a bike shop_ was the main attraction in that direction made the decision for the group.

"According to the city map there's a shopping district designed for trainers and Pokemon. Wanna check it out?" Grovyle inquired after showing her teammates the map.

Fletchling answered for the others in an instant, shouting, "Yeah, but we's leavin' if dem buildins don't look nice."

With their destination settled, the quartet took off down the sidewalk. Given the fact that they were in an unfamiliar area, and a large one at that, Grovyle had Fletchling fly a few dozen feet in the air so he could see the Pokemon Center in case they lost their way.

"Hey, Mimikyu."

Slowpoke waited for the creepy Pokemon to acknowledge her, so when he did she proceeded to speak.

"How'd you end up getting caught by Thomas?"

Mimikyu looked away from the quadruped to take in everything around him - from the buildings, to the people, even the sounds and smells - before shaking his head.

Both of the girls walking on either side of him deadpanned.

"I joined. I wasn't captured."

"Did he ask if-"

"No," he interjected, silencing Slowpoke.

Mimikyu went back to looking at the road until he spotted Grovyle tightening her fists out of the corner of his eye. Why did they want to learn about him? What was so fun about that? Mimikyu thought of every answer he could before remembering how Fletchling invited him to join their conversation. It was proper etiquette to be inclusive and receptive, which he found stupid, but following them made his life easier. Plus he could have some fun with it.

"Did he capture you?"

Grovyle and Slowpoke recoiled. Whether that was because of the question itself, or how he sounded genuinely interested didn't matter. What _did_ matter was him asking.

"Yeah he did. I was causing a lot of problems outside of Rustboro City and we ended up battling."

Mimikyu nodded along with the story before asking a follow-up question. "How'd you lose?"

Slowpoke immediately burst out with laughter while Grovyle started waving her hands, trying to keep the answer from getting out. Her attempt was futile.

"I hit her in the gut so hard she threw up, and then Thomas had her spin until she did it again. Hahaha!" The Water-type wiped the tears from her eyes with her tail while Mimikyu turned to Grovyle and waited for her to refute the claim.

"You left out the part where you fell in my vomit," she replied, putting an end to her friend's laughter in an instant. "So technically I beat her in a battle and Thomas caught her."

The two went on to argue over whether or not the battle was legit - something about Fletchling being there made it not count - which left Mimikyu to his thoughts.

 _Is that all it takes to become friendly?_ he wondered, comparing the atmosphere before and after he asked about the Slowpoke's past. Mimikyu glanced at both of the girls about a dozen times before returning to his mind. _They're making this too easy._

Before they knew it, the group arrived at the shopping district. Each store was the size of a hypermarket, or a supermarket combined with several department stores, with fancy molding and massive columns. They all had a bunch of colorful signs in the windows and near the entrance to attract attention, but since all of them did it, the group felt more overwhelmed than anything.

Fletchling descended and landed next to the others who appeared to be flustered. It was impossible to tell with Mimikyu, so for the sake of making things easier, Fletchling just assumed he was also overwhelmed.

"Yo! Which o' dem monsta shops is we gonna check out?"

Neither Grovyle nor Slowpoke could decide, as they'd change their minds the second their eyes caught sight of a new sign. Lucky for them, Fletchling was completely oblivious to those and he pointed straight ahead.

"Let's choose dat one."

Along with Mimikyu, he escorted the girls into the building, except he too was dumbfounded by his surroundings. It was basically like a mini mall, with department stores as far as the eye could see and mass amounts of people walking around with their Pokemon. Mimikyu waited for the three to snap out of their trances, but when they didn't he used the shadow from underneath his rag to slap them all upside the head.

"Ow!" they snapped, rubbing their heads simultaneously.

"Thanks for that, Mimikyu."

Grovyle flashed the quiet Pokemon a thumbs up, unaware of the puzzled expression resting behind his rag.

 _She thanked me for hitting her?_ he asked himself in thought. _This isn't even a challenge._

Once he returned to the real world, Mimikyu turned to see Fletchling and Slowpoke were already running into one of the stores. Grovyle sighed and rubbed her temples as she walked after them while Mimikyu stuck to her side. Every time he felt like someone was going to bump into him he'd jump back and hiss despite being scolded by Grovyle, whose headache grew worse by the second.

"I don't understand how Thomas puts up with this every day," she said under her breath. "Now let's find those two before they do something stu-" Grovyle stopped talking the moment she discovered Mimikyu was no longer with her - he probably ran off somewhere in the store just like the others.

Grovyle looked all around for her friends in the item shop, which had several pieces of battling equipment such as Macho Brace, Quick Claw, and Life Orb, yet she never caught a glimpse of them.

 _What would Thomas do right now?_

The gecko stroked her chin a few times until a light went off in her head. She slammed her palms together, creating five clones, and sent them in every direction. Surely her teammates couldn't evade five sets of eyes, right? Ten minutes passed before three of the clones returned with Fletchling and Slowpoke, and then the other two showed up with Mimikyu.

"Why'd ya do dat, Dollface? We was just perusin' dee assawtment o' items."

"Good god, you need some speaking lessons!" Slowpoke remarked before laughing. "There isn't an item for that, is there?"

Fletchling slammed his head against the quadruped's and they both started snarling. Then, a slew of insults were thrown left and right, drawing disgusted looks from people in the store. Neither Pokemon was aware - even if they were they wouldn't have cared - and they began to shout louder and louder, their volume growing with each new insult.

"Both of you shut up!" Grovyle snapped in a hush whisper, grabbing both Fletchling and Slowpoke by their necks. "Since you can't control yourselves we're leaving. Mimikyu, let's go."

Like a mother would her child, Grovyle ignored her friends' protests and made sure to check on Mimikyu every few seconds so that if he did run off he wouldn't get far. The quartet exited the hypermarket just as quickly as they arrived, and Grovyle marched down an alleyway before letting go of her friends' necks. The second she did they turned around and glared at her.

"What the hell was that, Grovyle?" Slowpoke shouted.

"You can't just run off like that! We have to stay together!"

"Why didn't ya say dat in da foist place?"

"And why are you only yelling at us? _He_ went off on his own too!"

Slowpoke glared at Mimikyu, who returned an equally vicious look - nobody could see it of course, but that was beside the point. The Water-type and Fletchling shifted their attention back to Grovyle, who took several deep breaths before giving an answer.

"You're right," she said while turning towards Mimikyu, taking away some of her teammates' anger. "Why did you, _and you two_ ," she added, pointing at Fletchling and Slowpoke, "go on your own?"

Silence fell over the three Pokemon, who either looked at the ground or at each other, just not at Grovyle. Even though she didn't sound irate, she was. All it took was a quick glance at her eyes and you'd know right away, which was why Mimikyu suddenly stared at her.

After folding her arms, Grovyle raised an eyebrow and waited for Mimikyu to speak. Slowpoke and Fletchling looked up from the ground and watched the interaction between their two teammates, both waiting for a physical altercation, like the one at the Pokemon Center, to ensue.

"Presents."

"Presents?"

The rag-wearing Pokemon nodded and said, "I wanted to get presents for you all since I was mean to you."

 _Cue the flinching,_ he thought immediately afterwards.

Mimikyu hung his head, selling the act, and smirked when he saw each of his teammates' flinch just as he said they would. Obviously they'd be caught off guard by such a caring response, based on everything he noticed about them at the Pokemon Center, but Mimikyu found no joy in being able to predict exactly what they did.

"That's... really thoughtful, actually," Slowpoke muttered begrudgingly.

Fletchling nodded for a second but stopped when he caught Mimikyu glancing up from the ground. He squinted, focusing entirely on the way Mimikyu's eyes moved, and then his body language. There was something off about the whole thing, or maybe he was just weird. Yeah, he was just a weirdo.

"Here. I took these."

 _Now a mixture of surprise, disappointment, and anger,_ Mimikyu stated mentally as he tossed a handful of small candies with blue wrappers.

Soon a pile of Rare Candy formed in the middle of all four Pokemon, leaving Grovyle and Slowpoke speechless. Fletchling, meanwhile, stared at the stolen 'gift' and then stomped his way over to Mimikyu. Before either of the girls could say a thing, the Flying-type got in Mimikyu's face and snapped.

"Ya got a screw loose in ya head! Ya ain't gotta be a genius ta know stealin's bad!"

Fletchling slammed his head against Mimikyu's, causing the latter's neck to give out.

Just as Grovyle was about to scream her mouth was covered by Slowpoke's tail. The Water-type kept her eyes glued to Fletchling, who had a crazy look in his eyes. She had never seen him that mad before, and for it to be over something Mimikyu did with good intentions made him even scarier.

"Ain't ya gonna say somethin', Puppet?"

Fletchling paced back and forth, bringing his wings up to his head while muttering something to himself inaudibly. Even so, Mimikyu kept his cool. In fact, he was smiling from ear-to-ear underneath his rug.

 _Just a little longer until I win._

When Fletchling looked at him for a response, Mimikyu stayed quiet, so he fired another question.

"What? Ya can't come up wit some fancy ansuh dat we's gonna think's okay?"

Mimikyu fixed his neck in silence, drawing a growl from the feisty robin. Fletchling's glare intensified all of a sudden and he shoved Mimikyu with a loud grunt. Grovyle and Slowpoke watched their newest teammate hit the ground before shifting their gaze to Fletchling as he marched forward and stood over Mimikyu.

"Fletchling, back off," Slowpoke ordered.

 _Checkmate,_ Mimikyu thought.

Grovyle walked towards the robin and moved him away from Mimikyu, to whom she offered a hand. Using the shadow from underneath his cloak, he accepted the help and got back on his feet.

"That was way too far! Pushing him around like that because he doesn't know stealing is wrong?"

All Grovyle could do was roll her eyes at Slowpoke's tirade, but she soon went back to looking at Mimikyu. The cloaked creature met Grovyle's gaze with his beady black eyes, sending chills down her spine which, in turn, made her shiver. That didn't stop her from asking a question, though.

"Are you okay?"

Mimikyu tilted his head.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Again, Mimikyu tilted his head. Why did she shiver before? Was something bothering her? Mimikyu mentally shrugged - he didn't care about the answer.

"No," the tiny Pokemon said, his voice as flat as could be.

Grovyle let out a sigh of relief and walked over to Slowpoke and Fletchling, oblivious to the fact that Mimikyu glared at her the whole time. He kept himself away from the trio, but he analyzed everything they did: how they looked at one another, how each of them physically reacted to a statement or question, and the way their tones changed at certain parts of the conversation.

 _Well that was easy,_ Mimikyu thought as Slowpoke continued to chew out Fletchling. _They're better off dead._

* * *

 **Mimikyu, you rascal. Hopefully this chapter gave y'all some insight into Mimikyu's character and how he'll fit in with the team. Plus some more info was revealed about Louise and why she's in Hoenn.  
Next chapter the Color Crew will prepare for another Ultra Beast encounter, and you'll get to know more about them and their boss!  
Till next time, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "The Color Crew Assembles**_ _ **"**_

 _ **When the location of another Ultra Beast is uncovered all members of the Color Crew are sent out to capture it! What is this group capable of? Can they capture the Ultra Beast and return it to their boss?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc:** **Mauville City**

 **Chapter 22: Regaining Rhythm  
** **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough** **  
** **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives** **  
Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	21. The Color Crew Assembles

**Good morning, Krusty Krew! Here's another update which revolves around the Color Crew. Last chapter y'all got to see how Mimikyu's mind works and his relationship with the rest of the team - which is rocky, to say the least. Now let's get going!**

 **BouncingFish:** _Ayy, confidence booster! I think Mimikyu's probably the most interesting character because, like you said, the way his mind works. The Color Crew's returning! I've been looking forward to this as well, since their personalities will start to become clearer (and one of them is just fantastic, if I do say so myself). Thanks!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _You hit the nail on the head, my good man. Louise will start battling very, very soon, and I might even write one of her Gym Battles. Mimikyu also won't get along with the team at all, and while he does come off as high and mighty, I suggest paying close attention to the way he treats each individual teammate, which hopefully (if I did it well) gives you a better understanding of his mentality. Style and suave are what determine an evil team's success (not kidding, actually, haha), and I think you'll love at least one of the CC members by the end of this chapter._

 **Warrior of Hope:** _He's one manipulative son of a gun, to be sure. He should make up for it with his strength though. As for how he meshes with the team, it'll happen later down the road in a unique way imo. Louise is uber powerful and there should be a brief explanation about why she doesn't have badges from Lavaridge or Petalburg. The CC's goals are much, much simpler than I initially planned, but there will be quite a few confrontations between them and Tom (and his rivals). Don't worry about the whole in-depthness stuff, my good man. Just grasp for straws, ramble, and then bam! You've got it!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 20, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 18, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
Mimikyu, (m), level 17, Astonish, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak***

* * *

Rojo's eyes went back and forth between the Pokemon on the television, refusing to blink because she feared she'd miss something. Scizor did the exact same thing as her trainer and she beamed when the combatants finally charged at each other.

"Dragon Claw!"

"Dragon Rush!"

With a mighty flap of his wings, the one using Dragon Claw - a Flygon - took to the air and zipped across the battlefield while its opponent - a Garchomp - stomped on the ground and roared as he was surrounded in blue aura. The Flygon's claws began to glow neon green and extend exponentially as the Garchomp surged forward. The two attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield, and both Pokemon battled back and forth, refusing to give in to the other.

As the sparks of energy continued to fly off their attacks, a vortex of green and blue energy suddenly engulfed the Dragon-types and began to spin at hyper-speed. The force emitted from the neon and blue tower was so powerful people in the stands were being pushed back into their seats. The tower began to spin even faster, which, in turn, made it even less stable. Suddenly, it exploded and both Pokemon, as well as their trainers, were sent flying backwards while everyone in the stands dropped to the ground in fear of being injured by the force.

Rojo and Scizor gaped at the screen before slowly turning to face each other. Neither said a word so they looked back to see the smoke beginning to clear.

When it did both Flygon and Garchomp were revealed to be standing, albeit barely, and they had similar smirks plastered on their faces. The fact that neither had fallen after such a massive explosion was improbable to say the least, and it almost seemed like the battle between them was never going to end. Meanwhile, the crowd and trainers waited in silence as the two Pokemon narrowed their eyes and smiled. The camera zoomed in to show their legs shaking violently as the Flygon gave a very weak nod, and all of a sudden it collapsed.

"Fortis is unable to battle! Marcus and Garchomp are the winners and will be moving on to the championship round!"

The girl let out a sigh and fell back on the couch, exclaiming, "Aww! I wanted Gray to win!"

Scizor nodded and crossed her arms while saying, "That Marcus guy was really strong. I wonder if he became famous after that."

"Nope."

Both Rojo and Scizor jumped at the sudden response. Once they spun around, they saw a man donning a yellow jump-suit. He was much taller than his female counterpart - he had to look down to meet her gaze - and it looked like his clothes were ten sizes too big. There was a large book in his hand and a long-necked Pokemon - an Ampharos - accompanied him.

It had a white stomach and black, cone-shaped ears that had a horizontal yellow stripe wrapping around the middle. A red orb rested just above its eyes and another on the tip of its tail while its stubby arms looked like flippers.

"He won the Indigo League that year, but when he battled Red he couldn't beat a single one of his Pokemon. He was never the same after that," the yellow-clad boy stated without looking up from his book.

"Really?" Scizor watched the boy nod. "That's disappointing."

"Did Gray go through the same thing, Amarillo?"

Upon hearing his name, Amarillo placed a finger on the page he had been reading and locked eyes with Rojo. He then raised an eyebrow, causing Rojo to tilt her head.

"Are you kidding?"

"No, why?"

"She was a member of Kalos' Elite Four for almost a decade."

"Wait, why did you say _was_? What happened to her?"

Rojo watched Amarillo and Ampharos walked over to the sectional and sit down, prompting her and Scizor to do the same and lean forward. Their attention was diverted, however, when they watched Amarillo close his book and place it by his side. Even Ampharos eyed his trainer, who suddenly sat upright.

"Do you remember the first time Dad told us about Ultra Beasts?" Amarillo asked, interlocking his fingers.

"I don't think so. When did that happen?"

The older boy sighed and began counting on his fingers until he reached seven.

"I was four, so you must've been two. Does that ring a bell?"

Rojo shrugged, which Amarillo took as a no.

"Well, according to him, the Ultra Beasts attacked Alola and almost destroyed the entire region. The Champions and Elite Fours of the six other regions went there and tried fighting them off, but apparently they were too weak."

Rojo's and Scizor's eyes went wide.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." Amarillo sighed once again. "The Ultra Beasts killed Gray, as well as members of the other Elite Fours."

The red duo turned to look at the television, which was showing highlights from the battle they had just watched, but then Scizor shook her head while Rojo stood up and paced back and forth. Amarillo and Ampharos glanced at each other, the former rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"So the Ultra Beasts have been around ever since then?" Rojo inquired, eyeing her older brother.

He shrugged and then picked up his book. Before he could leave Azul walked in with Lucario following closely, and she glared at Amarillo. He immediately put down the book as she marched his way, and when she was close enough she grabbed him by the neck.

"Why the hell were you talking about that?" she whispered, spitting each word out more angrily than the last. "You know what Dad would've done if he heard that!"

There was no response so the young woman let go of Amarillo, but not before she locked her sights on Rojo.

"Never bring this up again. Got it?"

The younger of the two stared blankly despite her brother mouthing 'yes' over and over again. When she shook her head, Amarillo, Ampharos, Scizor, and even Lucario turned a ghostly white. As for Azul, well, if looks could kill then Rojo would've died ten times over.

Azul stomped across the room and then threw Rojo up against the wall, which knocked the wind out of the younger girl's lungs. Despite the loud crack and Rojo's coughing, Amarillo and the Pokemon didn't move a muscle.

"Want to change your answer?"

Rojo nodded as best she could, prompting Azul to release her. Still, that didn't change the feral look in her eyes.

"Why did you do that?" Rojo asked between coughs.

"You should be happy that's all I did. Trust me, Dad wouldn't have been as lenient." With that, she walked towards the door but stopped moments before closing it. "By the way, he called for an emergency meeting."

She remained still, her back facing her younger siblings until she could hear their footsteps. Azul looked over her shoulder to see both Rojo and Amarillo standing a yard away and then they headed down the hallway along with their Pokemon, passing by a pair of doors before walking up the stairs. The siblings looked around the first level of their house on the way to their father's office, and once they arrived at the closed twin doors Azul stepped to the side. She placed her hand on Amarillo's back and pushed him ahead, but she stuck her arm out when Rojo tried to pass.

"Remember-"

"Keep my mouth shut, I know."

Azul nodded and then gave Amarillo a thumbs up. He opened the doors in response, and when he and his sisters stepped inside they saw their father sitting at the head of the table while Blanco and Negro sat across from each other at the middle.

Without so much as a word, Rojo and Amarillo took the seats at the end of the table while Azul occupied one of the two nearest their father. Everyone glanced at the empty chair to their father's right and sighed. The man at the head of the table waited for his kids' undivided attention, and when he got it he rose.

"The last time I counted on you to capture one of the Ultra Beasts, you failed... miserably."

All of the kids except Amarillo flinched at their father's words. The mere mentioning of their previous failure brought back memories they were hoping to forget, especially Negro and Azul.

"To make matters worse, you two left Ro to _die_!"

After he slammed his hands against the table and glared at his eldest and middle daughters, the man turned away while cracking his knuckles. Azul and Negro trembled in their seats along with their siblings, but after a few deep breaths they managed to calm their nerves. Suddenly the group's father spun back around, his eyes locking with each of theirs one at a time before finally speaking.

"Your punishment can't make up for that," he said, eyeing his daughters' arms and the freshly-formed scars all over them. "In fact, I decided to follow Hammurabi's code of an eye for an eye so that you will understand how your sister felt."

Neither girl moved a muscle even as their father stared holes through them. A suffocating pressure fell over the room, and it was felt by all five of the children. All of a sudden their father leaned back in his chair and sighed, the tension fading in an instant.

"Rather, I _had_ come to that decision until Verde swayed my mind. But if _any_ of you do _anything_ like that again, with Arceus as my witness, you will feel my wrath."

"Yes, Father!"

The man nodded to himself and rose from his chair while the projector hanging from the ceiling turned on. All five of the children stared at their father as he stepped to the side of the room and retrieved a controller. When he clicked a button on it, a projection of Hoenn showed up on the wall behind his chair. He pressed the same button again, which caused the focus to zoom in on Mauville City and the routes directly connected to it.

"Verde has discovered another Ultra Beast is taking refuge in New Mauville," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest as the aforementioned location was highlighted on the projection. "Power to Mauville City has been cut off recently, so I'd guess _this_ is the Ultra Beast you'll encounter."

A picture of a human-like bundle of electrical circuits covered New Mauville, drawing stares from the jumpsuit-wearing kids.

"You're _all_ going this time. Azul and Negro, you two will be tasked with covering Verde as he tries to capture it."

Both girls rose from their seats and saluted.

"Blanco, Amarillo, Rojo, your job is to make sure nobody else gets in there, no matter what it takes."

All three shot up and saluted just like their sisters.

"You'll be heading out first thing tomorrow morning. Any questions?" the man asked while circling the table, eyeing each of his children as he past them.

All of a sudden, Rojo raised her hand while her mouth remained shut. Azul and Amarillo stared at their little sister once she received a nod from their father. Their hearts started pumping faster and faster as beads of sweat fell down their brows, and then they heard her speak.

"Is Verde coming home soon? You said he'd be back after the trip to Dewford Town, but he's still gone."

Amarillo and Azul sighed in relief. Crisis averted. However, when they realized their father had returned to his seat - along with Blanco, Negro, and Rojo - their hearts started thumping again. Both of them bowed to the head of the table and sat down, prompting him to speak.

"I'm sorry, Ro. Verde has a _very_ important mission starting right after we capture the Ultra Beast, so I don't know when he'll be back."

The young girl pouted and asked, "What if he gets hurt?"

"Hey, this is _Verde_ we're talking about," Blanco responded with a smile. "He'll be back in no time."

A smile spread across Rojo's face and she nodded. Of course Verde was going to be okay, he was the strongest trainer in the whole world - at least that was Rojo's opinion. Since there weren't any other questions, the quintet left the room. The middle-aged man remained in his seat and turned to look at the Ultra Beast's picture once the doors were closed.

He tightened his grip on the remote until it broke, though that didn't seem to faze him. The only thing on his mind was the Ultra Beast and how it was going to die.

 **000**

"Mommy!"

Gale force winds drowned out the scream, making it sound like nothing more than a faint whisper. A little boy was all alone in the desert just north of Route 111, widely regarded as one of the most dangerous places in the region for even experienced trainers. After his mother heard rumors about Regirock living in a cave somewhere in the desert, she brought him along and tried finding the Legendary Pokemon. In the end, they were separated when a pack of Trapinch chased them both.

"Mommy, where are you?! I'm scared!"

Sand flew into the boy's mouth and struck his bare arms. A burning sensation fell over them as he spat, trying to rid himself of the taste of sand. Opening his eyes was out of the question, as he knew doing so would cause him to go blind. But what other option did he have? His mother wasn't responding to his calls for help, and the sandstorm wasn't just going to stop after raging on for forty years straight.

What made the situation even worse was the fact that wild Pokemon were hunting there day and night. It was a matter of _when_ they'd find him, not if. And when they did, well, he knew what would happen, which was all the more reason to continue calling for his mother.

"MOMMY!"

Again, the wind overpowered his scream and even managed to knock him to the ground. After hitting his back the little boy struggled to get up, and when he did his ears picked up on the sound of something scurrying through the sand. Placing one hand over his heart, which he thought was about to leap out of his chest, the child screamed once more.

"GET AWAY!"

Whatever had been making the sound wasn't scared off, and the little boy could hear it closing in. A wave of energy swept over his body and he stared kicking at the sand as hard as he could. Then he angled his head downwards and used both arms to shield his eyes, which he barely opened. Something was standing a few feet in front of him, and it looked a bit darker than the sand, though it disappeared in an instant.

The energy continued to surge through the little boy's veins, so he stayed on guard and surveyed everything within a five foot radius of himself. All of a sudden something dug into his right leg, bringing the little boy to his knees. He rolled around in the sand and screamed when the pain increased exponentially, but because of the adrenaline and his primal instincts the little boy fought through it and swung his fist. It connected with whatever had attacked him, and he heard it cry.

Just as he began to rise, something else chomped down on his right arm. He punched it squared in the face, but that only made its grip tighten. Then he felt a sharp pain in his left leg, which must have been caused by the first one he struck.

"HELP! HELP! PLEASE!" he screamed at the top of his lungs while crying.

The little boy tried to shake off his attackers one last time, but he was zapped of his strength. His will to fight had vanished. All he wanted was to survive, yet that was impossible to do alone. He was going to die.

As he began to lose all feeling in his limbs, something compelled the little boy to open his eyes. He didn't know why, but he just had to do it. When he did, he saw an enormous creature - was it a dragon? - flying towards him. In the blink of an eye the unidentified object swooped down, grabbed him with its tail, and zipped out of the desert at the speed of light. The scenery down below changed from sand to the woods to a city in the span of two minutes before the little boy saw he was descending.

The moment he reached the ground the little boy was surrounded by a group of people in blue shirts. They placed him on a gurney and rushed towards the hospital, but before he disappeared inside, the little boy looked up and saw a young man in a green jumpsuit waving along with a green dragon.

Both of them continued to wave until the child was no longer visible, yet they stood outside and stared at the hospital for about ten minutes. Just as the young man hopped on his Pokemon's back he spotted one of the medics sprint out of the building.

"Wait! Don't leave!" she cried, prompting him to dismount. "You're... you're a hero, ya know that? Both of those people you brought in would've died had they not gotten immediate treatment. You saved their lives!"

The jumpsuit-wearing trainer turned to his Pokemon, and then they both looked back at the medic as she gasped for air. Suddenly the man in green placed his hands against his hips and looked out into the distance, prompting his Pokemon to whistle a tune, albeit reluctantly.

"I believe you're mistaken, for I, Green Granite, and my partner, Salamence, have done no such thing!" he exclaimed, doing his best superhero impersonation despite the embarrassed reaction from Salamence. "The doctors inside that very hospital are to thank, as they are the ones who perform life-saving surgeries every day!"

He looked back at the medic and struck another pose, this time sticking his chest out, placing one foot on an imaginary pedestal, and keeping his hands on his hips.

"Remember, Miss: Anyone can become a hero, so long as they work hard and-"

"She left."

The young man maintained his pose and glanced out of the corner of his eye to see the medic had indeed left. Even so, that didn't stop him from resuming his original pose and laughing heartily.

"HAHAHA! A hero never lets small things get to him, Salamence!"

Salamence began to nod, but he deadpanned after seeing a stream of tears roll down his trainer's face.

"Riiight," the Dragon-type muttered. "Can we go back to the mission now, Verde?"

After a few seconds of waiting for a response, Salamence waved his arm in front of his trainer's face. Slowly the young man focused his sights on Salamence, who flinched - the way his trainer' kept smiling scared the living hell out of him.

"Verde? You must be confused, my friend, for I am... Green Granite!"

Again, Salamence deadpanned while his trainer posed.

"Can you please tell me where to go now?"

After hopping on his shiny Salamence's back, Verde - or Green Granite - pointed straight ahead and held his arm out for about ten seconds. People that walked by whispered and pointed at the young man while Salamence hung his head in embarrassment.

"Where are we going, _Green Granite_?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"HAHAHA! How unheroic of me! You can't see where I'm pointing!" Verde exclaimed, only to receive a terrifying glare from Salamence. "Uh... right. Ahem. Let us patrol the city, my winged comrade! We mustn't let evil run rampant!"

Without any warning, Salamence flapped his wings and took off towards the heart of Mauville City while Verde held on for dear life. Neither spoke as they surveyed the streets for suspicious activity, and before they knew it they spotted the Pokemon Center.

"Let's go there and get everyone healed up," Verde ordered, using his normal voice instead of the painfully-forced heroic one.

The shiny Pokemon obliged and quickly landed in front of the red-roofed building. Verde removed his mask, hopped off Salamence's back, and rubbed the dragon's head with a smile before turning to the Pokemon Center. Then he exhaled.

Salamence heard that and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Everything all right?"

Verde flashed a toothy grin which answered the question quite clearly. "You'll need to be in your Poke Ball for a little while so Nurse Joy can work her magic. Sound good?"

"Of course."

Once Salamence was withdrawn Verde entered the building and handed Nurse Joy six Poke Balls. While doing so, he looked around the lobby and noticed nobody else was there.

"Must be a slow day," Verde said, drawing the woman's attention. "That makes your job a lot less hectic."

"Oh no, it's been a madhouse." The pink-haired woman giggled after Verde looked the room over for a second time with a befuddled expression. "Most of the trainers are outside battling, and from what I've heard they've all lost to the same person."

That nugget of information piqued Verde's interest. Nurse Joy then handed over his Poke Balls and pointed down a hallway to her right.

"If you're interested, the battlefield is at the end of the hall."

Verde bowed to the woman and decided to check out the back of the Pokemon Center. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of challenging such a powerful trainer while he looked down at the Poke Ball in his right hand. Second later he reached the end of the hall and walked outside once the automatic doors opened. Verde's face dropped when he saw a crowd of at least a hundred people - and that was just on one of the battlefield's four sides.

 _Word certainly spreads fast,_ the young man thought to himself.

Despite all of the people standing between him and the battlefield, Verde had no issue seeing over them. It was a double battle between a girl with short, wavy black hair and two boys who had the name 'Gene Eric' written on their shirts. Their Zigzagoon and Poochyena were covered in dirt and appeared to be bleeding, which caught Verde's attention in an instant. He turned to look at the girl and then her Pokemon.

One of them was a robotic-like creature with light blue skin - or was it metal? Either way, it didn't matter. Two thick arms - both of which were equipped with three white claws - protruded from its disc-shaped body, which also had a pair of white spikes on either side and one lone spike on the middle of its face. The Pokemon narrowed its red eyes and punched its fists together.

"Metang, the Iron Claw Pokemon, and the evolved form of Beldum. It is formed by two Beldum joining together. Its steel body won't be scratched if it collides with a jet."

"What? No it's not."

Verde's ears twitched in response to the sharp voice that came from the right, and, for whatever reason, he walked towards it. He spotted a shaggy-haired brunette sitting with a quartet of Pokemon at one of the tables near the Pokemon Center's wall. The young man, who looked to be seventeen or eighteen, stared at the Pokedex in his hand and then shook his head with a scowl.

"Two o' dose things toin inta dat freaky robot! Holy shit on a sandwich!" one of the Pokemon - a Fletchling - screamed, eliciting laughter from Verde.

"But that's not true. It evolves by leveling up," the brunette muttered.

Verde shifted his attention back to the battlefield where he saw a bipedal chicken, whose upper-body was yellow while its lower-body was red, use its gray legs to from one foot to the other. Three orange feathers stood at the top of its head and, like Metang, it had three sharp claws at the end of its freakishly long arms.

"Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokemon, and the evolved form of Torchic. Combusken toughens up its legs and thighs by running through fields and mountains. This Pokémon's legs possess both speed and power, enabling it to dole out 10 kicks in one second."

Verde glanced at the younger trainer who was about to say something, but he stopped when Combusken dished out ten kicks in the blink of an eye. A collective gasp followed Combusken's display before a wave of applause swept over the spectators, prompting Verde to check how Zigzagoon and Poochyena were holding up. Both were unconscious, just as he suspected, so he too joined in on applauding the victors.

"Zigzagoon and Poochyena are both unable to continue! Ashley, Combusken, and Metang are the winners!" the referee shouted, throwing both of his hands up to the sky.

"That's forty wins in a row!"

"She's so strong!"

"Those Pokemon are incredible!"

As comments flooded the air, Verde watched a small section of the crowd split. The girl walked through, stopped, and stared right at him with her ruby eyes. Verde flinched and strolled away from the Pokemon Center's back-entrance, though he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to see if the girl was still staring. She was, except her target was the brunette, who stared right back.

 _So she was staring at him, not me,_ Verde thought as the girl's Combusken appeared by her side and waved.

The boy's Grovyle and Slowpoke returned the gesture, albeit with far less enthusiasm, before both trainers looked away from each other and headed for the doors - the brunette's Pokemon stayed behind, though that went unnoticed.

Verde sighed to himself, thinking, _I must find a rival, someone who will push me beyond my limits!_

On that note Verde walked towards the automatic doors with his eyes fixated on the ground. He could tell people were up ahead based on their shadows, so to keep from bumping into them he lifted his gaze. Suddenly a purple-haired girl and the brunette with the notebook stepped out of the Pokemon Center and headed back to the tables. He paid them no attention and quickly disappeared inside.

 _In the meantime, I, Green Granite, must return to helping those in need, for it is my duty as a hero!_

* * *

 **The Color Crew's back and gearing up for another Ultra Beast encounter, which should go smoother than the previous one since Amarillo and Verde will be there to help. Speaking of Verde, he's quite the character with much, much different interests than his father and siblings. Expect to see a lot more of him in the future.  
Anyways, that's all I have for now. Hopefully y'all enjoyed the chapter, because I sure as hell loved writing it.  
Next chapter will focus on the return of Aiden and his team of dancing Pokemon, so stay tuned!  
** **Till next time, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Regaining Rhythm"**_

 _ **Louise helps Thomas train for his Gym Battle against Wattson, but that's cut short when they run into Aiden, whose newest Pokemon can't get the hang of dancing in battle! Can the two help Aiden teach his Pokemon how to dance, or will they flounder?**_

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 23: Diamond in the Rough  
Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives  
Chapter 25: Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge!  
Chapter 26: The Gift  
Chapter 27: Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	22. Regaining Rhythm

**Ahoy maties. I'm back with an update, and this one will revolve around Thomas and Louise helping Aiden teach his new Pokemon how to dance. There may even be another person or two that stops by to lend a hand - I actually don't know if that'll happen, but it could! - so with that out of the way let's get going!**

 **Rales Mckoy:** _There's only one thing they'll be doing aside from hunting the Ultra Beasts, though I don't think it'll be announced for a while. Verde is my favorite CC member because of his antics, and Gray's death will be brought up eventually. Not sure when, but it'll happen. And there isn't any relation between them and Ashley._

 **BouncingFish:** _Excellent^2. Rojo's probably my second favorite behind Verde - he's certainly their father's favorite - because, like you said, he acts like a hero even though he's an antagonist. I really wanted to make it difficult to root against the enemies, and I think Verde accomplishes that. The battle with Xurkitree will be exciting, to say the least. And thanks! I'll start to give some hints about who he is sooner or later, which should be quite the reveal._

 **Trentavious Phoenix:** _Haha, you'll have to wait and see if she replaced him. I don't know when the answer will arise, but it will._

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Lol, I don't know how I forgot it, but I did. The Color Crew's probably my favorite group of antagonists yet, and I did try to make them likable because I wanted to switch things up and give the protagonist (Tom) a boring personality while the antagonists were flashy. Nice point(s) about the family dynamic and the similarities between Rojo and Verde, as well as the latter's goals of helping people and finding a rival to make him better at it. His mission... can't comment on that, but can say he'll find a rival because of it :P As for Ashley, her Metang is a beast but it'll be the third or fourth strongest on her team come league time. Scary. The battle between Thomas and Ashley will end up with a lot of Pokemon in the intensive care unit, and that's all I'll reveal. In-depthness for the win!_

 **SirSwag333:** _Yes._

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 20, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 18, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
Mimikyu, (m), level 17, Astonish, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak***

* * *

Thomas flipped through his notebook, looking over all of the notes inside it. He was laying in his bed and paid no attention to Grovyle, Slowpoke, Fletchling, or Mimikyu, instead flipping through - and reading - every single page of notes. What used to be blank white paper had been covered almost entirely by words and diagrams written and drawn in black ink. Once Thomas finished reading the final page he closed the notebook, placed it on the bed, and then reached for another one.

"Dat chicken from da beach toined inta a beast," Fletchling said aloud, drawing a pair of nods from Slowpoke and Grovyle.

Even Thomas, who was scribbling down more notes in the new notebook, agreed. From what he remembered, Combusken - a Torchic at the time - was pretty strong when he battled the white jumpsuit-wearing trainer's Kommo-o in Granite Cave. Still, seeing how much he improved over such a short period of time was astonishing, to say the least.

Slowpoke yawned and hopped onto the empty chair to the right of Thomas' bed to get a better look at her trainer and teammates. "Metang was amazing too."

Everyone nodded again except Mimikyu, of course, who just stared at the door.

"We's a betta team though. If dey fought us, we'd whoop 'em!"

Slowpoke smirked in response and let out a cheer of approval, but she was the only one. Both Thomas and Grovyle remained silent, putting them at the center of attention.

"You don't think they're better than us, do you?"

Grovyle refused to meet Slowpoke's gaze while scratching the back of her neck. Mimikyu glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes and analyzed her body language. She didn't turn her body to Slowpoke, and the way she immediately used her right arm was weird, yet that intrigued the rag-wearing Pokemon even more. Then he focused on Slowpoke, whose tail stood straight up while her eyes didn't move an inch.

 _Even though they're friends, it looks like she's about to kill Grovyle for not believing in their strength. What odd creatures._

"I'll answer that," Thomas said, simultaneously interrupting Mimikyu's thoughts and grabbing the others' attention. "I don't think you're better."

Fletchling's and Slowpoke's jaws hit the floor, and even Grovyle stared at the seventeen-year-old. Mimikyu spun around and made note of the reactions before focusing on Thomas, who had the same bored look on his face like always.

 _The human isn't one to mince words._ He made note of the stunned expression on his teammates' faces and smirked underneath his rag. _Interesting._

"You're about even. Whoever makes a mistake would lose."

Thomas went back to writing in his notebook, which intrigued Mimikyu, while the other Pokemon exchanged glances in response to their trainer's analysis. Then, before anyone could say or do anything the door flew open and Louise marched in with a smile.

"I figured I'd find you in here!" she exclaimed. Thomas didn't look up from his notebook even as Louise approached him. She then tapped his shoulder, saying, "Instead of strategizing you should start training for your Gym battle."

All four of the Pokemon looked back and forth between Thomas and Louise until the former sighed and rolled off his bed.

"Fine. Let's go, everyone." Thomas motioned for his team to follow as he walked out of the room, but when he turned and saw Louise tagging along he stopped. "What're you doing?"

Louise put her hands on her hips and continued to smile. "I'm gonna whip you all into shape!"

Louise's words sucked the air out of the room like a vacuum, and Thomas gave her a blank look in return. It went unnoticed by the elder trainer, who hurried towards the door and held it open as each of the four Pokemon walked out into the hallway. Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose. Whether Louise was oblivious or determined didn't matter; he knew he couldn't find a way to get out of training with her. Thomas walked out of the room after taking a deep breath in an attempt to prepare himself for the worst training session of his journey.

 **000**

"Use Peck again, Combusken!"

Combusken bolted across the battlefield while light formed around his mouth in the shape of a beak. The opposing Pokemon and its trainer flinched, and before either could react Combusken lunged forward. Combusken jabbed his opponent in the chest, sending the smaller Pokemon flying as a ray of white light trailed it.

"Meditite!" its elderly trainer cried as she ran onto the battlefield and picked him up. It was unconscious, generating a cheer from Combusken, who ran back to his trainer with a smile that stretched across his whole face.

Two other Pokemon - a Rufflet and Metang - were standing on either side of his trainer, who kept her arms folded across her chest. All of a sudden the young woman nodded at Combusken, which, somehow made his smile grow even wider. Both Metang and Rufflet mimicked their trainer by nodding at Combusken while the young woman walked past him and towards the other trainer.

"You guys were super awesome too!" The bipedal chicken threw his arms out to his sides and embraced both Rufflet and Metang, both of whom tried to break away. Ultimately they couldn't, but Combusken let them go when he heard a sharp voice.

"Hey! Get over here now!"

The command cracked in the air like a whip, startling the elderly woman and the three other people accompanying her, as well as Rufflet and Metang. Combusken was the only one to not react, and while his teammates sped towards the young woman that had called for them, he put his hands behind his head and strolled over.

Once all three of her Pokemon were by her sides, the young woman spun on her heels to face the quartet of people, which consisted of a young girl, a mother, a father, and a grandmother. They were the Winstrates, a family that everyone in Mauville knew of. Trainers who challenged them did so because of the prize being offered, but to get it one had to defeat all four members of the family in consecutive battles.

"Congratulations, Ashley!"

Because the Winstrates bowed they were unable to see the scowl on Ashley's face, at least until they stood upright. Her scowl had grown so the grandmother of the family quickly handed over the prize, an odd-looking arm brace with three metal rods attached to it and two green straps on both ends. Two of the rods were welded together to form a ring while the third ran through them and lined up with the straps.

"That's a Macho Brace. If one of your Pokemon wears it their physical attack power will increase, but that's at the cost of their speed."

Ashley inspected the equipment for a few seconds, pulled out her Pokedex, and scanned the three Pokemon she had out. After doing so, she turned back to the Winstrate family.

"By any chance do you know how much slower a Pokemon becomes when they wear it?"

None of the four answered for what felt like an hour, at least to Ashley, so when the father's eyes lit up so too did Ashley's. "The user's speed will be cut in half," he said, causing the young woman's face to drop. "And their attack power will increase at a higher rate than normal when they gain experience."

Ashley's excitement returned, although it paled in comparison to how she originally felt. The best way she could describe it was like waking up on Christmas morning to find a lump of coal in your stocking, except the coal was a joke and you got a decent present - not the one thing you _really_ wanted, it was one at the bottom of your list.

Despite the disappointed-yet-happy feeling, Ashley bowed to the Winstrates and motioned for her team to do the same, saying, "Thank you."

"Yeah! Thanks a bunch!" the young woman heard Combusken exclaim, which generated a wave of laughter from the family.

Not wanting to spend more time than she had to, Ashley withdrew Metang and Rufflet and headed back for Mauville City. Combusken ran after her and waved goodbye until the Winstrates were out of sight, letting out a content sigh as he matched his trainer stride-for-stride.

"Are you gonna have someone wear that?" He pointed at the Macho Brace in Ashley's hand.

She shrugged and started to examine it for a second time. "I know this isn't for Rufflet, and I'm not sure how well it could work with Metang."

"Let me use it!"

Ashley's neck snapped upwards and then she turned to her starter, who was grinning.

"You talked about how close-quarters fighting suited me better than them, remember?" Combusken asked rhetorically. "Besides, it doesn't work well with the other Pokemon you plan on catching, so it's perfect!"

After blinking slowly, Ashley went back to keeping her eyes on the road and what lied ahead. There was no way _Combusken_ just came up with that answer, right? He couldn't have; he was dumber than a bag of bricks. And yet there he was with that stupid grin on his face, knowing full well he made an irrefutable argument.

"Fine."

If Combusken could've exploded from sheer elation, he would've. Luckily for him and his trainer, that wasn't possible - at least to their knowledge - so he did the next best thing: dance. Ashley followed Combusken's every move, ranging from cartwheels to ballerina-like twirls, with the faintest of smiles. It disappeared the moment Combusken stopped dancing and extended his arm towards Ashley, prompting her to slide the battle-gear on.

Once it was fastened around the lower-half of his arm Combusken threw a few punches at the air. A small gust of wind blew after each punch and left the Pokemon staring at his limbs, salivating at the thought of punching an opponent in battle. Ashley checked her Pokedex to see how much time was left on the walk to the Pokemon Center - about ten minutes - while simultaneously ignoring Combusken and the conversation he was having with his arms. And just like that he went back to being the same old idiot she had always known.

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the Pokemon Center, beating their estimated time of arrival by four minutes. When they arrived, Ashley withdrew Combusken and handed Nurse Joy his Poke Ball along with three others, humming a tune as she did so. Moments later, she looked up to see the elder woman handing back a tray with four Poke Balls, prompting her to bow before taking them back.

 _I should probably battle someone to test out the Macho Brace,_ Ashley thought as she strolled to the back of the building and stepped outside. The second she did, she was thrown back by the force of an explosion that had been caused by a massive, stone-made monster.

Ashley picked herself up and saw three Pokemon thrown into the air like rag dolls, their limbs flopping around like they were made of rubber. All three Pokemon continued to soar towards the heavens, leaving Ashley with her jaw on the ground and standing around like an idiot - anyone would've if they saw how damn high they went.

Although she was unaware of it, Ashley wasn't the only one appalled by the scene. Both trainers on the battlefield - Thomas and Louise - would've fallen over had it not been for their Pokemon - Mimikyu and Gengar, respectively - being right there to catch them. Ashley recognized the one that had caused the explosion was a Golurk, who slowly turned to its purple-haired trainer and flexed.

Gengar snapped her stubby fingers in front of Louise's face, breaking her trance-like state like a hypnotist.

"Golurk, go catch them!" she screamed while pulling her hair.

The man-made Pokemon's eyes literally lit up and it turned around to spot the three he sent flying. Golurk took off without a word, using the rockets on his feet to pursue the now-descending trio of Pokemon. Moments later it caught each of the Pokemon in one hand and descended, landing softly on the ground while placing the smaller creatures next to their trainer.

Thomas blinked once, slowly, and stared at Golurk as it flexed again. He then shifted his focus to withdrawing Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke - all of whom were unconscious - before putting his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and sighing.

"Sorry about that, Thomas," Louise said as she appeared by Golurk's side. "This guy isn't exactly good at holding back... as you can tell."

Mimikyu stared at the young woman and then both of her Pokemon. Louise wore a sheepish smile, Gengar folded her arms over her chest, and Golurk continued to flex. The rag-wearing Pokemon muttered something inaudibly and stared into space, only to notice Ashley standing off to the side of the battlefield. Before he could alert his trainer of the girl's presence, Mimikyu saw Gengar and Louise had already turned around, prompting Thomas to look in the same direction as them.

Ashley and Thomas locked eyes, filling the air with unparalleled levels of pressure. Mimikyu examined the young woman, taking note of the power she exuded before analyzing Thomas. What was normally an aloof expression had changed to one of sheer ferocity, causing Mimikyu to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you _want_?" Thomas asked. His words were like knives, cutting through the air as if it were butter.

Ashley fired back. "A battle. You ran away in Dewford, and I won't let it happen again."

Neither trainer spoke for a minute, but their staring contest continued even as Thomas headed for the entrance with Mimikyu tagging along. He stopped, halfway through the automatic doors, and nodded.

"Fine. I'll heal my team, and then we'll battle."

"Now that's a tune I can dance to!"

Everyone turned around to see who had spoken, and their faces dropped when a tall, bipedal bunny twirled their way. It stopped and struck a swan-like pose, but quickly went back to dancing - this time it was the salsa.

 _What kind of idiocy is this?_ Mimikyu thought, his neck giving out at the sight of a dancing Pokemon. _What's next? A guy who thinks he's a superhero? A human-Pokemon hybrid?_

Mimikyu used the shadow from underneath his rag to readjust his neck. _This isn't even interesting; it's stupid_. The bunny went back to twirling, except she approached Thomas while doing so, leaving him slack-jawed.

"You look pretty familiar. Have we met before?"

The young man didn't react. Was a dancing rabbit really talking to him?

"Lopunny! Leave him alone!"

Another foreign voice captured the group's attention, but to Thomas it sounded somewhat familiar. His ears always twitched whenever he heard someone speak for the first time in a while, and that had just happened.

The strange smiled at Thomas and performed about a dozen consecutive backwards cartwheels until it bumped into a teenage boy and his Scyther, the former of whom Thomas recognized almost immediately.

"Aiden?" he inquired.

Lopunny's trainer flinched slightly and then focused on Thomas for a brief moment. His eyes lit up shortly thereafter, the memory of their previous - and only - encounter coming to mind.

"Thomas! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Aiden laughed when he saw Thomas glance at Lopunny, but the roles were soon reversed, kind of, when Aiden stared at Mimikyu - Thomas didn't laugh, instead choosing to keep an eye on his newest member.

"This is Mimikyu. He's the only Pokemon I've caught since our battle."

The olive-eyed trainer waved at Mimikyu, who responded with a blank stare. Scyther, who was almost glued to Aiden's side, lifted his bladed arms as if he was preparing for an attack, but when Lopunny turned to him he calmed down rather quickly.

 _Very protective, are we? This one's intere-_

"You two... _battled_?" Ashley interjected, hurling Mimikyu's train of thought off the tracks.

The mere sight of Ashley, who was nearly foaming at the mouth, made Aiden backpedal while Scyther stepped in front of him. Thomas, on the other hand, furrowed his brow and sighed.

"Before we," he said, pointing at Ashley and then himself, "met."

Even though Aiden's Pokemon reaffirmed the statement, Ashley's glare intensified and she drew a Poke Ball from her belt. Moments before she could throw it, a faint, ghost-like hand grabbed her by the wrist.

"If you're so eager to battle I'd be more than happy to fill in for him." Gengar snarled at the young woman, her arm covered in a shadowy veil.

When he saw Louise standing right next to Gengar with one hand on her hip and the other clenched, Thomas' eyes shot open along with Mimikyu's.

 _What... what is this pressure?_ they thought in unison as the force continued to swell. _Is it coming from_ _them?_

Thomas' instincts kicked in as he took one slow step backwards, and another, and another. Aiden mirrored his rival, as did Scyther and Mimikyu, so when Gengar released her grip and Ashley put the Poke Ball back on her belt the two boys sighed in relief.

All of the pressure radiating from Louise and Gengar vanished just as fast as it appeared, allowing everyone to breathe easily... until Lopunny opened her mouth.

"We should battle them, Aiden!" The aforementioned trainer died on the inside. "Maybe that'll help you-know-who adjust to our style!"

No response came from Aiden, who looked like a corpse until Scyther tapped him on the shoulder. All of a sudden he shook his head, generating an obnoxiously loud gasp from Lopunny.

"I'm sure they all have more important things to do."

"Actually, this could help you train for your Gym battle, Thomas." Louise turned to Aiden while pointing at Gengar and Golurk. "They'd be much more helpful than us, seeing as Mimikyu's the only one who could dodge an attack."

Both of her Ghost-type Pokemon nodded - Golurk did so while flexing - and Mimikyu remained still despite sensing Ashley's eyes burning a hole in his head.

"I need to heal my team first, but I'll help," Thomas said. "And then we'll battle."

Ashley continued to scowl, yet she nodded in agreement.

With that, Thomas withdrew Mimikyu and went into the Pokemon Center, groaning the instant the doors closed behind him. It was just as he predicted: the training session with Louise was the worst of his journey.

 **000**

After his Pokemon were back at full health and had a grasp of the situation, Thomas returned to the battlefield. Lopunny, Scyther, and a Roselia danced to the sound of Aiden snapping his fingers while Louise and Gengar watched keenly. Meanwhile, Ashley sat all by her lonesome and away from the action, not that it mattered to Thomas, or anyone for that matter.

Thomas refrained from announcing his presence, instead opting to take notes on Aiden and his Pokemon. Within a minute or two, Thomas had the rhythm and movements down pat, but when the pace escalated so too did the dancing style. He started to take notes on the different styles but they were changed when the sound of a shaker replaced Aiden's snapping, prompting Thomas to follow the third dance. That, too, switched up completely, causing the seventeen-year-old to fumble his pen and notebook.

Aiden and the dancing trio heard the sounds and spotted Thomas gathering his belongings, which he then put in his backpack, as he was aware of the attention.

"Sorry. That style's so unique I just had to watch." He rubbed the back of his head and looked off to the left, not wanting to make eye-contact with Aiden.

The younger trainer chuckled, waving off the apology.

"No worries. Are you ready to get started?"

Thomas nodded as he stepped into the trainer box opposite Aiden, and then he grabbed two Poke Balls from his belt. Aiden, meanwhile, motioned for Lopunny and Roselia and drew a Poke Ball of his own.

"Grovyle, Mimikyu, it's battle time!"

Light poured out of the spheres and quickly took the shape of both aforementioned Pokemon. While Grovyle stretched her arms over her head, Mimikyu remained as still as a statue, causing Aiden and Roselia to step backwards, their faces filled with fear.

Ashley looked at the Alolan Pokemon from afar and then at Thomas when, suddenly, one of the Poke Balls on her belt snapped open. Combusken materialized from it with a stupid smile on his face, which only grew when he saw Ashley scowling.

Combusken spun around, gasped at the sight of Thomas' and Aiden's Pokemon, and headed straight for the battlefield all before Ashley could so much as blink. Much to his dismay, Combusken moved slower than a snail, giving his trainer more than enough time to step in front of him. He sighed and hung his head as he returned to the bench Ashley was previously sitting in, and she joined him.

"Pay close attention to Grovyle and Mimikyu."

Turning his head so he could see Ashley, Combusken flashed a toothy grin despite his trainer's brooding expression.

"Star in the show!" Aiden shouted, grabbing the Fire-type's attention in a flash.

When the Poke Ball reached its apex it released a wave of light that poured onto the battlefield beside Scyther. Thomas, Louise, and Ashley watched as the Pokemon's body began to form, though when it did they all had deadpan reactions.

The creature flopped around like a fish out of water... because it was a fish out of water. To call it disgusting would be a compliment, as its enormous, lifeless eyes shifted in every direction to scan the environment. Unlike Magikarp, who had red scales, this Pokemon's body was light brown, and it also had a pair of big, pink lips. The dull blue shade of its fins and tail, combined with how tattered they looked, always made people wonder just how that particular Pokemon managed to survive in the wild. Perhaps it was so repulsive nothing wanted to eat it.

"Feebas, the Fish Pokemon. While Feebas' body is in tatters, it has a hardy and tenacious life force that enables it to live anywhere. However, this Pokémon is also slow and dimwitted, making it an easy catch."

Thomas slowly put his Pokedex away and gave Aiden an 'are you kidding me?' type of look. The younger trainer didn't seem to notice, however, and shifted his attention to Feebas, who kept flopping around.

"All right, Feebas, we're practicing our rhythm by battling. Are you ready?" Aiden asked eagerly, sporting a smile that stretched across his face.

Despite having an automated translator, Feebas said nothing. She did, however, wave her tail - something she hadn't done while flopping wildly - and focus on Aiden. He nodded and then looked across the battlefield to see Thomas and Grovyle scratching their heads.

"You can go first, Thomas! And don't hold back!"

Big mistake.

"Okay..." the seventeen-year-old replied, his voice drifting off. "Grovyle, use Quick Attack on Scyther and Leer at the same time!"

The gecko gave Scyther and Feebas a terrifying look, causing a ring of green light to spin around both of them - indicating their defenses had been lowered - while she took off towards her target at a blistering speed.

"Now, Mimi-"

Before Thomas could even finish saying his Pokemon's name, Mimikyu shot forwards while two limb-shaped shadows, both of which had three claws, formed on the sides of his torso. All of a sudden he went from being at the center of the battlefield to right in front of Feebas, who he slashed at with both arms. Somehow Mimikyu missed, or rather Feebas dodged by springing twenty feet into the air, leaving everyone in shock. Grovyle even managed to stop herself from striking Scyther so she could try to block Mimikyu's attack.

"Did... did that just happen?" Louise mumbled to Gengar, who was at a complete loss for words.

Ashley and Combusken were unfazed by what happened since the former was so focused on Thomas' strategy and Grovyle's movements while the latter didn't really understand how shocking Feebas' feat was. He then began to clap and cheer for the ugly fish, who landed on Mimikyu's crown, causing his neck to snap.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Grovyle screamed at the top of her lungs, fleeing the scene in an instant.

Thomas blinked once, looked around, and saw Grovyle slam into the Pokemon Center and Mimikyu laying on the ground with his neck snapped and Feebas laying on top of him. Did he lose a practice battle before his opponent could attack?

Aiden ran a hand through his hair while sighing.

"I guess we're done here. Thanks for trying to help, Thomas."

Louise shot up from her seat and ran after Aiden, who turned around when he heard her footsteps.

"Wait! Let me help you train," she said, only for Thomas to interject.

"You almost killed my team less than an hour ago. He'd be stupid to accept."

"Yeah, I'll just train on my own. Thanks for offering, though."

Aiden resumed his march off the battlefield while his Pokemon followed, except for Feebas, of course. When he noticed he almost left her behind, Aiden facepalmed and reached for Feebas' Poke Ball as a cloud past overhead and blocked the sun. At least, that's what he thought until gale-force winds blew in his and everyone else's faces. Then a large dragon landed on the ground and let out a deafening roar, causing the group to cover their ears while someone who had been on the dragon's back dismounted.

Once everything settled down, the four trainers and their Pokemon stared at a person donning a green jumpsuit and a green helmet with - you guessed it - a green visor that covered their face entirely. The Pokemon accompanying them was a Salamence that had green skin instead of the typical blue, and it seemed to groan before whistling a tune.

Suddenly, the person in green placed their hands on their hips and looked towards the roof of the Pokemon Center.

"You're safe now, endangered citizens! For I, Green Granite, have arrived!" they exclaimed with a deep, obnoxiously fake voice, which was so loud Ashley could hear it, and she rolled her eyes in response.

Salamence stopped whistling and immediately shook its head, but that didn't dampen the trainer's chipper attitude, as he looked around and then pointed at Feebas.

"Aha! I've spotted the scoundrel! Salamence, old friend, vanquish it with Dragon Claw!"

The aforementioned Pokemon brought one of his front legs to his face and muttered something under his breath before looking at the trio of flabbergasted trainers.

"Does this belong to anyone?" he asked, pointing at Feebas with his tail.

Aiden slowly raised his hand like a student and then zapped the Water-type back into its Poke Ball. Salamence bowed his head before turning to his trainer and whispering something. The man recoiled violently at whatever had been said, bowing faster than the speed of light.

"My deepest apologies, young man! We heard a scream come from here, so we assumed your Feebas caused it."

"Uh... it's okay," Aiden replied.

Suddenly, Louise and Gengar stepped forwards, drawing Green Granite's and Salamence's attention.

"That Grovyle was the one who screamed," Gengar said as she pointed at the gecko. "Which happened because that Mimikyu behind you had his neck snap." The Ghost-type pointed again, only this time it was at the superhero-wannabe.

Green Granite glanced back to see Mimikyu fixing his neck.

"And it all took place while they tried helping the Feebas learn its trainer's style of battling, which involves dancing."

For whatever reason, it looked like something put the fear of god into Salamence as he started to shake his head and back away. The three trainers checked on Green Granite, who was staring at the ground, and they shrugged in befuddlement.

"Dancing, you say?"

Green Granite lifted his head and locked his sights onto Louise. She nodded, much to Salamence's horror, and waited for the man in green to speak. He just stood there in utter silence, so Louise nodded a second time just to make sure he hadn't missed her non-verbal response.

Still nothing. Louise waved her hands around and called the man's name, but it was all for naught. Meanwhile, Gengar attempted to approach Salamence after he backed into a wall with his eyes as wide as could be.

"Are you okay? Do you need Nurse Joy?" she asked.

Salamence was far too terrified to even notice Gengar, and she figured as much. With that in mind, she took a few more steps towards the Dragon-type until, finally, he noticed her. When he did, threw his legs and wings up to shield himself.

"Please, don't let him dance!"

Gengar nearly fell on her face while Ashley, who was nearby, started dying of laughter.

Combusken shot off the bench, removed the Macho Brace from his arm, and clapped twice before doing an Irish jig, leaving his trainer slack-jawed.

"Did someone say... dancing?" Combusken asked in a hush whisper once he reached Green Granite's side, drawing a nod from the wannabe superhero. "I love dancing!"

"So do I!"

The young man and Pokemon high-fived and showed each other some of their moves while the former forgot about the conversation he had moments ago. Thomas, Louise, and Aiden looked at one another and then back at Green Granite without a word, so the jumpsuit-wearing man continued his dance-off against Combusken until an arm of shadows swiped his legs out from underneath him. After he face planted, Green Granite hopped back onto his feet and turned to Mimikyu, who stared him dead in the eyes.

"Hahaha! I see you're not a fan of dancing!"

If Mimikyu's face was visible, everyone would've saw the disgusted look on it. How did he meet so many stupid people?

Green Granite suddenly went to put his hand on Mimikyu's head, but the tiny creature slapped it away with his other shadowy arm. Again, Green Granite laughed as he put his hands on his hips, striking the same superhero pose as earlier.

"So why are you talking about dancing, anyway?" Combusken inquired, his eyes darting from person to person.

"His Pokemon can't dance, but that's the style he uses to battle." Louise pointed at Aiden, who held out Feebas' Poke Ball. "We're trying to teach it how."

Combusken's and Green Granite's eyes lit up before breaking into an impromptu dance. Meanwhile, Salamence covered his eyes with both wings and shook his head, though he stopped to look at Gengar, who scratched the back of her head when she overheard the ongoing conversation.

"Excuse me."

Gengar eyed Salamence.

"You don't want my trainer to dance. Once he does..." His voice trailed off and he shuddered at whatever thought was in his mind, drawing Gengar's undivided attention. "Well, it'd be best for everyone if we stopped this right now."

"Why? He's just going to help teach Feebas how to dance."

Salamence shook his head once again, this time much more emphatically than the previous.

"He has good intentions, but you have to listen to me! The moment he starts dancing..."

The dragon looked up to the sky, irking Gengar.

"Spit it out already!"

Her shout drew not only Salamence's gaze, but everyone else's too - well, except for Green Granite and Combusken, who kept their dance-off going. Gengar waved as if to tell them to go back to whatever it was they were doing, and that's just what happened. Once the attention was off her, Gengar returned her focus to Salamence as he inhaled, preparing to deliver the explanation.

"He... gets very-"

"Oooweee! We sure do got a dance master here, now don't we?"

Green Granite's voice filled the air, startling the group. Gengar simply peeked over her shoulder and saw Salamence cringe.

"Weird," he muttered, hanging his head as he did so. "I need to stop this right now."

With that, the Dragon-type flew towards his trainer and attempted to grab him, but all of a sudden Green Granite twirled out of the way. Despite doing so, the young man wasn't aware of Salamence's presence. In fact, he only evaded his Pokemon's grasp because it was his turn to dance while Combusken sat down and cheered.

Salamence attempted to grab his trainer again, but he failed... again. Everyone other than Combusken and Green Granite watched Salamence land a few yards to the side of the battlefield before he rushed forward, only to stop dead in his tracks when Gengar appeared in front of him. The second she did, Gengar marched across the battlefield and levitated so that she was at Green Granite's eye-level.

"It'd be more helpful if you did that once Feebas is _out_ of her Poke Ball."

The jumpsuit-wearing trainer chuckled sheepishly, snapping out of his superhero act for a moment, and nodded.

"Whoops! Sorry about that."

He bowed to the group, although each of the three trainers were still trying to process what had just transpired.

"I guarantee I'll teach Feebas how to dance in no time!"

Aiden glanced at the Poke Ball in his hand and then tossed it up. The moment it reached its apex, light poured out of the device and took the shape of Feebas. A few seconds later, the light faded and the Water-type floundered on the ground, yet she somehow kept an eye on Aiden.

"Hey, this man's going to try to help you train. Is that okay with you?"

Feebas didn't use the translator around her neck, instead opting to whip her tail from side to side which Green Granite made note of. Aiden smiled and then nodded at Green Granite, prompting the elder trainer to crack his knuckles. Suddenly, he started to snap his fingers and lift his heel at the same time, establishing a rather slow beat.

"All right, Feebas," he said, walking towards the ugly Pokemon so that she could see him. "I want you to copy this beat by slapping the ground with your tail. Ready?"

Feebas flailed her fin, putting a smile on the trainer's face.

"Great! One, two, one, two."

Aiden kept his eyes glued to Feebas, whose movements had calmed down quite dramatically, and how her tail struck the ground every time Green Granite said 'one'. She'd lift her tail on 'two' and repeat the simple steps so consistently her tail looked kind of like a pendulum, drawing gasps from Louise and Combusken while Thomas' and Aiden's jaws dropped.

Even though she wasn't near the others, Ashley could see that Feebas had picked up on the rhythm almost immediately. However, instead of focusing on the Pokemon, Ashley stared at Green Granite. Her eyes tracked his every movement - from snapping his fingers to the way his arm moved.

 _He's an idiot, acting like a superhero despite his own Pokemon not going along with it,_ she thought before narrowing her eyes.

After shifting her attention to Salamence, Ashley leaned forward and further examined the dragon.

 _Yet not only does he have a Salamence, he taught that useless fish how to dance in a minute when its own trainer couldn't do it with days of practice._

Ashley folded her arms over her chest.

 _Who is this guy?_

"Awesome! Since you're a quick learner, I'll add another step."

Green Granite watched Feebas flap her fin to show she agreed.

"One, two, three! One, two, three!" Green Granite iterated, drawing Feebas' attention with the slight change. "Now that you noticed, I'll explain. Use your tail to throw yourself in any direction when I reach 'three,' okay?"

Feebas waved her fin.

"One, two, three!"

After executing the first two steps like she did in the previous exercise, Feebas slammed her tail against the ground and used the momentum to flip onto her other side. She heard Aiden cheer, prompting her to strike the ground again. Just like before, Feebas landed on her other side while Green Granite beamed.

"I knew it; she's a natural!"

Aiden stopped cheering, but the ear-to-ear smile on his face wouldn't fade even as he bowed to Green Granite.

"Thank you so much, sir."

The jumpsuit-wearing man flashed a thumbs up at Aiden and Feebas, who flapped her fins to thank the man. Suddenly, Green Granite whistled for Salamence, who groaned while trotting towards his trainer.

"Apologies for the abrupt departure, folks! I must tend to those in need!" Green Granite mounted Salamence and patted the Dragon-type's head with a smile.

"Be safe out there," Louise said with a wink, unaware of the man's blushing.

"Th-thanks for your concern, young lady." Salamence did everything in his power to not laugh at his trainer, clearing his throat along with Green Granite. "Hey, random Combusken."

The Fire-type titled his head, generating a follow-up statement.

"Keep dancing, kid. Keep dancing."

With that, Salamence took off and disappeared over downtown Mauville's buildings, but Green Granite looked over his shoulder to see three of the trainers - Thomas, Louise, and Aiden - entering the Pokemon Center while Combusken shimmied over to Ashley.

He laughed softly under his breath so that Salamence couldn't hear. Even though his Pokemon hated it, and he knew acting like a superhero was ridiculous, Verde took his mask off and stared at it for a minute or so. His concentration was broken by his ringtone, prompting Verde to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.

"Hey."

Whoever called spoke for a moment before Verde continued.

"Don't worry about it, I'll make sure things go perfectly this time. See ya."

He sighed after ending the call, which Salamence heard. However, the dragon kept his mouth closed since he had a decent idea of what was discussed. Everything would be better after tomorrow night.

* * *

 **Well, that turned into something I didn't initially think of, but I'm happy with how the chapter turned out. Aiden returned moments before a fight could break out between Ashley and Thomas, and then Thomas failed to help teach Feebas how to dance. Luckily, Verde/Green Granite saved the day and did what Thomas couldn't... somehow.  
Shit's gonna hit the fan next chapter when the Color Crew battles Xurkitree and a familiar face returns, so stay tuned.  
Till then, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Diamond in the Rough"**_

 ** _Eager to make good on their second chance, the Color Crew arrives at New Mauville and takes on Xurkitree! Meanwhile, all hell breaks loose in Mauville City when the power goes out. Wattson asks Louise to help so she brings Thomas, Aiden, and Ashley along, but they aren't alone in keeping order, as a world-famous vigilante lends a helping hand! Can the Color Crew defeat Xurkitree? Who is this powerful and mysterious crimefighter?_**

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 24: A Hero Arrives  
Chapter 25: Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge!  
Chapter 26: The Gift  
Chapter 27: Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	23. Diamond in the Rough

**Hello again, everyone. I'm finally back with a new chapter, which has a ton of action, and man is this going to be exciting. While the Color Crew attempts to capture Xurkitree in New Mauville, there'll be a blackout in Mauville City, leading to some crime and whatnot. Now let's get going!**

 **Bouncing Fish:** _Yeah, that was a mashup of randomness. Reading over it again, I agree with you completely in regards to the tone of the chapter seeming out of place (plus Ashley being ooc). Thanks a lot for pointing out the issues, which I'll focus on going forward. I love Mimikyu. Him hating everyone and his blunt assessments are so much fun to write. Also, I'm happy you brought up Louise and Green Granite being head and shoulders above the others as well as how scary the former's strength is. Lucky for you, they'll both unleash their full power this chapter! Thanks a lot for the insightful review, and I'll make sure to take my time writing this!_

 **SirSwag333:** _Hahaha! Part of the bio I made for Verde in my outline makes him sound like Guy, but he'll become his own character further down the road. Thanks for making my day with that character comparison, lol._

 **Rales Mckoy:** _It was odd, that's for sure. I focused way too much on humor instead of the plot, but I'm happy I made the mistake so that it won't happen again. Aiden's team for the league is really strong, so his chances at bucking the trend of "main rival/random person beats OC in the league" are very high. Verde's one of my favorite characters in this story along with Mimikyu and one of Thomas' future captures._ _Thanks for the review!_

 **RevolutionXD:** _Agreed about Combusken. I like that you pointed out how his personality clashes with Ashley, and it's great to know you enjoy reading their interactions! As for Verde/Green Granite, he's my second favorite character behind Mimikyu (at the moment), and thanks! Making a likable antagonist was one of the main things I wanted to include in this story, because it makes it difficult to root against them._ _Tom and the others_ _won't interact with_ _the Color Crew_ _, but their hands will be full with the power outage and Xurkitree. Also, I've been working on Tom vs Ashley since Chapter 20, so I'm confident it'll live up to the hype :D Thanks for the review!_

 **Trentavious Phoenix:** _Thanks! Creating dynamic personalities was one of my main focuses when I planned this story. I've loved Mimikyu since it appeared in a SuMo trailer, and its background is so unique. In regards to Thomas' Mimikyu, I like him a bit more than Fletchling (I read his dialogue the same way!), though I don't know if that'll continue to be the case when they both go through their character arcs. Aiden is more flamboyant than the other trainers (excluding Verde) and I think it goes really well with his battling style; Ashley's an ass for unknown reasons; and I can see why you'd call Louise and Combusken creepy, though I'd say they're odd. All three remaining captures will have quirks like Fletchling and Mimikyu, which I'm really looking forward to. Thanks for the review!_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Don't worry about it, my boi. The beginning was pretty much what you said. And thanks for the compliment; I'm glad you found the middle to be funny. Like you, my love for Verde grows with every chapter, especially this one since he's serving his role as an antagonist. You seeing him as more of a rival is very interesting (maybe I'm going for that, maybe I'm not :P), and I can assure you he'll be a major player soon. Verde's going to interact with the main characters pretty often, and great job picking up on the change in his attitude once he got that call. There were a lot of things you picked up on/mentioned that others didn't, so wonderful job! You're making excellent progress with over-analyzing everything, haha. Thanks for the review!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 20, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*  
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 18, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
Mimikyu, (m), level 17, Astonish, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak*, Shadow Claw***

* * *

The lights from Mauville City's buildings pierced the night sky while a group of people stood on a floating landmass beneath Seaside Cycling Road. Each member of the group wore a jumpsuit and headgear, all of which had visors covering their faces, and they gathered near a cave. A pair of gigantic steel doors sealed the lone entryway, but not for long.

"How much more time are we going to spend here?"

"I'd imagine another hour. At this rate I could've finished reading."

"Would both of you shut up?" Negro asked, her voice cracking like a whip as Rojo and Amarillo recoiled.

She turned her back to the younger two and watched her Houndoom use Flamethrower on the steel doors.

"Anyways, when's Verde supposed to get here, Azul?"

The jumpsuit-wearing girl turned to her elder sister, who had been pacing back and forth from the moment they arrived. Azul didn't answer, instead muttering to herself while cracking her knuckles. Negro rolled her eyes and tried asking again, but she stopped when Amarillo and Rojo entered her field of vision.

"He _should_ have been here before us, so I'd wager another ten minutes."

Amarillo placed the tip of his finger inside the book he was reading and looked up. As soon as he did, he noticed how much weaker Houndoom's Flamethrower was, and for good reason. The steel doors still looked to be in decent shape despite being struck by a concentrated wave of fire for half-an-hour straight. Sure, burning a hole in the doors was taking _much_ longer than anticipated, but that was because Verde had yet to show up, despite being told to arrive ten minutes before the others. And the only reason they thought it would take less time to burn through them was because they expected him and Salamence to lend a hand from the start.

Suddenly, Amarillo walked past Negro and stopped at Houndoom's side. "Sit down for a bit," he ordered, generating a sigh of relief from the Fire type as she flopped on the ground.

The siblings and their Pokemon held their tongues, but Amarillo could hear what they wanted to say - or scream, at least in Azul's and Negro's cases. He picked up a stick, pushed it against the steel door, and smirked for reasons unbeknownst to everyone else. When he spun on his heels to face the group, Amarillo pointed at the doors.

"If enough pressure is applied to a specific area - like the one I just tested - we can rip through a small part of the doors and get in. I suggest Lucario or Kommo-o take care of this, if not both of them."

Neither Fighting type said a word as they made their way toward the doors along with their trainers. Lucario and Kommo-o inhaled deeply before the latter motioned for Blanco, who issued a command.

"Outrage."

Even though Blanco's near-whisper went unheard by his siblings and the other Pokemon, Kommo-o understood exactly what his trainer said and punched his hands together. A wave of orange aura swallowed the dragon whole and he swung at the door with reckless abandon, punching a hole through it on his first try. He continued his silent assault as he launched his fists forward at lighting-fast speeds, tearing through the door like a madman.

"Go, go, Kommo-o! Go, go, Kommo-o! Go, go, Kommo-o!" Rojo and Scizor clapped along with each syllable which was ignored by everyone other than Blanco and Kommo-o.

Before Blanco knew it, Azul, Lucario, Negro, and Houndoom marched on through a gigantic hole in the door. He then peeked over his shoulder to see Ampharos, Rojo, and Scizor huddled around Amarillo, except they didn't form a complete circle. Blanco and Kommo-o joined them, prompting Amarillo to clear his throat.

"Since our job is to keep everyone and everything out of New Mauville, I've devised a formation that maximizes our strengths while simultaneously covering our weaknesses."

The others kept their mouths shut as Amarillo reached into his back pocket and pulled out a journal so small it barely managed to cover his palm. After struggling to flip through the pages - the pair of yellow gloves on Amarillo's hands made it nearly impossible to get a good grip - of the journal, Amarillo found his plan and presented it to his siblings.

There was a small drawing of New Mauville's exterior on the left side - which was actually a box with a stick figure inside it - while another stick figure stood in the middle and near the top of the pages behind some trees. The third stick figure resided in the middle of the picture, but, unlike the other two, it was by itself.

"Blanco and Kommo-o have the most difficult job," he said, pointing at the stick figure in the center of the picture. "You'll be out in the open because Kommo-o has the most balanced stats, meaning you can adapt to more situations than us."

Amarillo kept quiet until his eldest brother and the dragon beside him nodded, neither appearing to be excited nor nervous - the expressions plastered on Blanco's and Kommo-o's faces were as neutral as could be. The same couldn't be said for Rojo and, to a lesser extent, Scizor, both of whom bounced up and down with giddy smiles.

"Ampharos and I will hide in the trees a little further away from New Mauville than you two." The yellow-clad trainer pointed at Blanco and Kommo-o. "Since Ampharos has the highest special attack but the lowest speed, he can't keep up with anything that's fast. That's why he'll act as a sniper and take out anyone that gives you trouble."

Dragging his finger across the page, Amarillo stopped once he was pointing at the third and final stick figure.

"Rojo and Scizor will stay inside New Mauville and act as the last line of defense if we," he said, referring to himself and Blanco, "can't stop the potential intruder. Do _not_ go outside and attack; wait inside for the intruder and then let them have it."

The sound of Rojo sighing entered everyone's ears almost immediately after Amarillo took a second to catch his breath. Rojo crossed her arms over her chest and pouted - the latter action didn't deliver the impact she thought it would, since, you know, her helmet covered the entirety of her face.

"Why do I always get the most boring job? I want to be the one battling an intruder!"

Silence fell over the group for a short while, yet Rojo glanced back and forth between her elder brothers. She tapped the toe of her red boot against the grass at a mile a minute, the force behind each tap increasing rapidly; it was obvious she wanted an explanation. Neither Amarillo nor Blanco could provide one, and the looks on their faces - though hidden underneath their helmets - said just that as they both curled their lips in and scanned the area for inspiration. Luck wasn't on there side, however, since their minds went blank.

A gust of wind blew against Rojo's back, though that didn't put an end to the silence. What it did do was grab Blanco's and Amarillo's attention, as well as that of their Pokemon. Even Scizor turned so she could face the breeze, or at least that's what Rojo thought her friend was doing until something grabbed ahold of, and threw, her into the air.

Rojo's initial reaction was to flail her limbs while approaching the ground, doing everything in her power to keep from smashing against it like any person would. All of a sudden her momentum stopped and she was no longer falling, though she didn't know why. At least that was the case until Rojo heard an all too familiar voice emanate behind her.

"Good things come to those who wait."

The girl spun around the moment her feet hit the ground, and she gasped. A young man in a green jumpsuit hopped off his his Pokemon's back and waved to the three trainers once he took his helmet off. Blanco answered with a wave of his own while Amarillo released an audible sigh.

"You're la-"

"Verde!"

Amarillo closed his mouth moments after the interjection and sighed once again, though a grin followed this time as Rojo hugged Verde. About ten seconds passed before she turned her attention to Salamence, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck and resting the side of her head against the top of his. The dragon wagged his tail in response, and he chuckled once Rojo backed away.

"Good to see you too, Ro. Still causing trouble?"

"No! I just wanna get a fun job _one_ time!"

Salamence chuckled again as he shook his head, though he found his jaw drop less than a second after he noticed Scizor walking his way. Verde patted the top of his little sister's helmet and Scizor's head with a nod, eliciting a pair of ear-to-ear smiles.

Once he returned both hands to his hips, Verde eyed his younger brothers and said, "Damn. Everyone's grown a ton since last time. Especially you, Blanco!"

Blanco bowed then laid a hand on Kommo-o's shoulder, shifting the attention to his Pokemon. While Verde approached Kommo-o, Salamence stood still to look over the two other Pokemon. Scizor and Ampharos noticed right away and glanced at each other, generating an explanation from Salamence.

"Sorry, I didn't know all of you evolved."

"It's weird, right?" Verde asked rhetorically, peeking over his shoulder. "Looks like we've been slacking off, Salamence."

The green-skinned dragon agreed with his trainer's assessment and nodded before he added, "I'm looking forward to seeing how much stronger Azul and Negro are, too."

"Oh yeah! Where are those two, anyway?" Verde asked. "Azul hasn't been late to anything in her whole life."

If that wasn't the most ironic thing ever said, Amarillo didn't know what was. The second-youngest sibling took a moment to regain his composure and then answered his brother's question.

"They went in there not too long ago after we waited thirty minutes for you to show up."

Verde shook his head and checked the time, his face dropping immediately after discovering he actually _was_ late. The young man bolted towards New Mauville's entrance without a word, startling everyone. Even Salamence was caught off guard, but not for long as he flew after Verde, grabbed him, and entered New Mauville in three seconds.

Everyone couldn't help but break into laughter over Verde's blunder - everyone except Rojo, that is. She didn't hear a sound come from her siblings and the Pokemon despite standing inches away from them, nor was she even aware of the reaction. The young girl placed her hand on top of her helmet and held it there, lowering her gaze. Seconds later, Rojo's hand moved from the top of her head to her chest and a soft smile followed.

 _I'm gonna be just like him someday._

 **000**

 _I'm going to kill him someday._

Ashley ignored the burning building to her right and stared at Combusken, who scratched the back of his head and yawned. After doing so he noticed how Ashley's eyes were glued to him, much to the young woman's delight.

 _This should send him a message,_ she thought as her scowl became even more pronounced.

Combusken stood as still as a statue for a brief moment before he smiled like an idiot, robbing Ashley of her composure.

"What the hell are you smiling about?! We almost burned to death!"

The Fire type's smile disappeared when he turned to look at the Pokemon Center, which was engulfed in flames.

"Really?"

"Yes, you jackass!"

Combusken ignored Ashley in favor of watching the Pokemon Center burn, saying, "Oh, boy! It's so cool we didn't die, right, Ashley?"

He started to hop while alternating his feet and then kicked the air ten times in less than a second, leaving his trainer slack-jawed. Was Combusken really that dumb? Maybe it was all an act.

"Hey Ashley, look! I can lick my elbow! All of our training is really paying off!"

It definitely wasn't an act.

Ashley walked away while Combusken licked his elbow and cussed under her breath for almost five minutes straight, because she didn't notice the disgusted - and fearful - reactions from those who heard her tangent. After strolling around the Pokemon Center's backyard, Ashley spotted a bench and sighed when she sat down.

Then the ruby-eyed girl took her backpack off, opened it, and rummaged through whatever was inside. With her gaze locked onto the raging fire, Ashley continued to blindly run her hand over all of the folded clothes until she felt something completely different. She let out a deep sigh of relief and placed a hand over her heart before closing the backpack.

 _Thank God it's in there. If it wasn't..._

Ashley bit her lip as she took in the sight of the Pokemon Center and felt her heart drop when the fire grew larger. The young woman wrapped both arms around her backpack as tight as she could after flames shot out of the windows and everyone outside screamed - the sheer terror behind their voices sent chills down Ashley's spine. Suddenly a calm, confident voice pierced through the cries for help, so Ashley turned to look for the person.

Her effort paid off in no time - she spotted a rather short young woman who marched through the waves of fleeing people and Pokemon. The woman had no trouble getting by, but that was because nobody bumped into her. To Ashley, it seemed as if everyone's fears of burning to death paled in comparison to colliding with the woman, and for good reason.

As soon as her Pokemon caught up, the woman threw her right hand forwards.

"Froslass, use Double Team and Ice Beam! Gengar contain it with Protect!"

The floating creature, Froslass, let out a ghostly cry while her clones appeared and formed a circle around the Pokemon Center. A transparent bubble swallowed every Froslass and the burning building, and that's when Ashley blinked. Her vision returned right away, yet she missed everything. The Pokemon Center was covered in a foot-thick layer of ice, which shattered in an instant.

 _What the hell's going on?_ Ashley rubbed her eyes for a few seconds before examining the Pokemon Center.

Her jaw dropped. What she just witnessed wasn't a dream, someone put the raging fire out in less than a second and vanished from the premises even faster. Ashley rose to her feet and surveyed the area for Combusken, spotting him within seconds before she took off towards him. When she got closer to the Fire type, Ashley slowed her sprint into a stroll while simultaneously switching the concerned look on her face to a fearsome glare. A deep breath followed, and then the black-haired girl marched up to Combusken.

"You better have a good reason for not following me," she said in a hush tone, though it sounded more like she was growling.

Combusken's ear-to-ear smile put that to a stop, though when he followed that up by pointing at a group of trainers and Pokemon, Ashley furrowed her brow. One of the trainers responded with a scowl of his own before he yawned, and all of a sudden his interest in the staring contest flew away. His aloof nature had won out over feigning hostility, enraging Ashley for whatever reason.

"Your name's Ashley, right?" one of the other trainers asked.

Ashley shifted her focus to the speaker and tensed up when she saw a smile on the woman's face. Both a Gengar and Froslass were on either side of the purple-haired trainer, who continued to wait for an answer.

"It was you. You put the fire out," Ashley said, pointing at the woman and both of her Pokemon.

"Your name's Ashley, _right_?"

Unlike the first time she asked, the purple-haired woman spoke with a low, threatening tone and narrowed her eyes. Despite how short she was, the woman exuded an overwhelming amount of power - Ashley found it hard to breathe, but she mustered up all of her courage and spoke.

"Thomas or that guy," she said while pointing at the olive-skinned boy next to Thomas, "could've told you, but yeah I am. Why do you want to know?"

"I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name's Louise Strause, and these are Gengar and Froslass."

Louise added a smile afterwards, and the power emanating form her just seconds earlier was gone - it was almost like she flipped a switch and shut it off. Ashley took a moment to gather herself after her heart felt ready to burst, taking several deep breaths before she was able to reply.

" _You_ stopped the Pokemon Center from burning down, didn't you?" she asked, ignoring everything Louise said.

The elder girl couldn't help but laugh. "Gengar and Froslass did. I only tagged along to get a better view." She returned Froslass to her Poke Ball a second later, thanking the Ice type for her help while Combusken spoke with Aiden and his Lopunny about dancing.

Louise and Gengar listened to the ongoing conversation just like everyone else, though that didn't last long. Both trainer and Pokemon glanced at the Pokemon Center without being noticed until they gasped, generating confused stares from Thomas, Aiden, and Ashley.

Each of them proceeded to stare at the red-roofed building and had the exact same reaction as Louise and Gengar.

"How is that possible?"

"There's no way."

"What the hell?"

All of the damage from the fire - the shattered windows, the melted exterior, the scorch marks - was gone; the Pokemon Center looked brand new. Nothing could explain how the building was repaired in an instant, or how somebody - or something - could've done such a thing without being seen.

Thomas scratched his head in disbelief as he looked away from the Pokemon Center, a million thoughts flying through his mind. Louise stopped the fire, Thomas knew that much, but he couldn't even begin to comprehend how the damage just vanished.

After the seventeen-year-old sighed he analyzed the Pokemon Center's exterior one last time, hoping to find even the tiniest detail. Despite Thomas' effort, he came up empty and cussed under his breath vehemently while lowering his gaze, and that's when he noticed it: one tiny tree planted by the Pokemon Center had been burned - only the trunk remained, and it was covered in scorch marks.

Meanwhile, two figures hiding on top of the Pokemon Center's roof let out sighs of relief and sat in the shadows. It was impossible to see either of them from the ground while they, on the other hand, could see everything down below.

"Did she notice us?" a Pokemon asked as it kept track of Louise's and Gengar's every move.

"No, we'd know if she did," a man whispered back. "We got lucky."

The Pokemon nodded and pressed his palms against the roof, summoning a clone of himself - which kept lookout - before he sat down across from his trainer. While the chatter from below grew louder, the man and his Pokemon crossed their legs and closed their eyes at the same time. Then they crossed their fingers inside their hands, raised and connected their thumbs, and inhaled - all done in unison and with their eyes closed.

 _"You can't keep pushing yourself like this, Myles. Your body will-"_

 _"I'm fully aware of my limit and the repercussions that come with exceeding it, Gallade."_

Upon hearing his trainer, Gallade fell silent and let the man's words bounce around in his mind.

 _"We've been doing this for a half-century;_ _I would be worried if you weren't,"_ the Fighting type shot back, generating a quick laugh from Myles.

 _"It's crazy how time was on our side just a few years ago."_

Gallade acknowledged his trainer's statement with a grunt. The conversation's lighthearted nature screeched to a halt, both of them could tell as much, and it took some time for that to sink in before Myles spoke again.

 _"Do you think I'll ever find one?"_ he inquired with a hint of pessimism.

 _"Everyone else did, and I know you will too,"_ Gallade said without hesitation. After yawning, he added, _"We should get some rest, especially if we're looking for it tomorrow."_

 _"Right. And thanks."_

Myles and Gallade bumped fists before opening their eyes in unison as a body of white aura enveloped them both.

 **000**

"Look who decided to show up, Negro. It's our idiot brother."

"Did you get the mission-time mixed up _again_?"

"Hehe. Sorry 'bout that, I didn't realize how late it was."

Azul cracked all of her knuckles at once after locking eyes with her elder brother, who responded with a sheepish smile, though in the end she didn't lay a finger on him. Her only priority was capturing the Ultra Beast, and the same could be said for the rest of the siblings.

"The rest of us can't afford to come up empty-handed, so get your shit together," Azul said. Her words cut through the air, wiping the smile off Verde's face in the blink of an eye.

Salamence noticed the immediate change in his trainer's body language demeanor, as Verde issued a simple apology before trailing both of his sisters. In a way, his movements looked robotic. Salamence scurried by Verde and soon found himself at the head of the group, and then he twirled to face everyone.

The girls and their Pokemon stopped dead in their tracks while Salamence said, "Lucario, check for the target with your aura. Verde, Azul, Negro, stay close to me and Houndoom. Got it?"

"Got it."

Salamence stepped to the side so Lucario could get by him, and she extended her paws as they were enveloped in dark blue energy. The hair on her head rose as she searched for a trail of aura, though it dropped to its normal position. Lucario's arms fell back to her sides and she spun on her heels to face Azul.

"It's in the basement, but something weird is going on."

Tilting her head, the blue-clad girl asked, "The hell are you talking about?"

"This one barely has any aura while the one from Dewford was overflowing with it. I don't know how there's such a discrepancy, but it's not sitting well with me."

Azul scoffed at Lucario's concern and marched past her, motioning for Verde and Negro to do the same. The former kept his feet planted, going over the information in his head a few more times before he opened his eyes and approached Lucario - she had yet to move, even after Negro, Houndoom, and Salamence walked by her.

The aura-wielding Pokemon flinched when she felt a hand fall on her shoulder, though it took her no time to identify it as Verde's.

"Don't worry about how strong the Ultra Beast is," he said, drawing Lucario's gaze. "Me and Salamence will take care of it."

Although Verde's words sounded reassuring, they didn't evoke a sliver of confidence from the Pokemon. That changed when Verde flashed a smile, and she couldn't help stare. A warm, calming aura surrounded the young man right away and rubbed off on Lucario just as quickly, prompting her to nod.

Not another word was said between the two, who were on their way to the basement, though that didn't stop Lucario from thinking about her trainer's brother. The last mission was a complete and utter failure because nobody - Azul, Negro, Rojo, or Blanco - could stand up to Pheromosa. This time would end differently for one simple reason: Verde.

Lucario snapped out of her thoughts the moment she saw Azul and Negro camped out by a flight of stairs, though neither of them noticed Lucario or Verde. That changed when Salamence and Houndoom greeted them.

"For a second there, I thought you chickened out, Verde," said Azul. The smirk on her face faded once she realized Verde, who ignored both her and the comment, wasn't going to respond.

Negro and Houndoom kept a close eye on Azul, who crossed her arms like a child, and suppressed their laughter while Verde placed his hand on Salamence's head.

"You ready?" he asked, evoking a nod from the Dragon type. "How about you guys?"

Negro punched her open hand, shouting, "Absolutely!"

"What kind of question is that? Of course we are!" Azul snapped. "We'll take the lead. Let's go, Lucario."

Silence followed as Azul and Lucario tiptoed down the stairs, the latter using her aura to discern the Ultra Beast's exact location. "It's in the back, but I can't tell what it's doing," the Fighting type whispered to her trainer and the quartet behind her.

Everyone continued making their way towards the basement until they reached a door, which was the only thing left standing between them and the Ultra Beast. A message had been painted on the door in bright red, and it said, "Authorized personnel only! All others forbidden from entering!"

Azul and Lucario glanced and nodded at each other before the latter put her palm against the metal door. Once she briefed the others on her plan, Azul gave Lucario a thumbs up.

Releasing all of the aura channeled into her paw, Lucario blew the door down and charged ahead with everyone in tow. However, she spotted a bolt of electricity heading towards her less than a nanosecond after everyone entered the room. Lucario brought her arms up, intending to use them as a shield, but when she didn't feel electricity running through her body, she lowered them and gasped.

A bubble of transparent green light shielded her from the attack, yet she didn't turn to see who protected her until the bubble popped. Since Negro's, Houndoom's, and Azul's backs faced her, Lucario easily deduced the identity of her savior.

Verde and Salamence made their way past Lucario and stood in front of her, both glaring at the attacker.

It looked like a bundle of electrical wires, yet it also had a human-like appearance - in addition to having legs and arms made of three wires held together by white cords, its fingers and toes were made up of copper. A white star topped the creature's head and despite it lacking a face, what stood out most to Verde and Salamence was its tail, which had a three-pronged plug at the end.

"Do we have any info about this thing?" Verde inquired, keeping his eyes glued to the Ultra Beast.

Azul nodded and took out her phone.

"People call it Xurkitree, and it's an Electric type. According to reports, Xurkitree can discharge up to one million volts at once, and it has a habit of raiding power plants."

Verde tried to stifle his smile, but the effort proved futile. Sure, his heart was pounding, but it was out of excitement rather than fear. Salamence shared Verde's sentiment, his tail wagging as he and his trainer scanned the room. Four massive generators rested in each corner of the room, and hundreds, if not thousands of wires ran along the white walls.

Xurkitree took advantage of his opponents' shift in focus when he pointed at the ceiling with its tail, and a bright green light enveloped the three prongs. A ring of red aura spun around Xurkitree when the light from its tail faded, which Verde and Salamence caught a glimpse of.

"Two can play at that game! Salamence, use Dragon Dance!" the young man shouted.

Salamence let out a roar as several blue orbs circled him, though they eventually turned into a red ring. As soon as it faded, Verde cracked his knuckles and motioned for Xurkitree to make the next move. Oddly enough, the Ultra Beast waved back as if to say, "Thank you."

The young man and his Pokemon acknowledged the gesture, both nodding with eager grins. Not everyone shared Verde's and Salamence's elation, however, as Negro pulled at her hair and Azul ground her teeth while Houndoom's and Lucario's lips curled.

"Stop being nice and bash its brains in already! If you don't, I'd be more than happy to!"

Verde continued to smile, much to Azul's frustration, but he knew she was right. He had a job to do, and that superseded his desire to fool around. As soon as Verde and Salamence stopped smiling, everyone backed away. The girls' eyes opened wider than they ever had before, Lucario and Houndoom were reduced to trembling messes, and even Xurkitree reacted by lifting its arms as if it was going to throw a punch.

Just when the others started to think that Verde and Salamence couldn't possibly get scarier, they did. The young man reached into his pocket and grabbed a rainbow-colored stone with a black double helix inside, closed his hand around it, and extended his arm towards Xurkitree.

"Sorry, but my little brothers and sisters can't afford to fail this mission!"

Two rays of light shot through Verde's hand and struck the metal brace around Salamence's tail, or rather the tiny stone resting in the brace. The red, white, and blue swirl inside it disappeared when the rays of light first struck. Salamence started to hum before a pink egg-like object materialized and encapsulated him, making it impossible for any one of the trainers or Pokemon to see his transformation.

Although it wasn't like they needed to, since the power emanating from Salamence rose at an exponential rate by the second. Xurkitree backpedaled for a second time, and within two steps it found its back was literally up against the wall, which made the situation even worse.

Xurkitree's terrible luck continued when the pink cocoon exploded, unveiling Salamence, who didn't look much different in his Mega-Evolved state. Even so, to judge him based on the changes in his appearance instead of the changes in his physical abilities was foolish.

The only significant differences between Salamence's standard form and his Mega Evolution were his wings melding together and tail becoming shorter. Aside from that the upper two fins on Salamence's face became more elongated, his shoulders were covered by white armor that looked similar to his underbelly, and the gray scales running down his neck disappeared. As a result the red flesh of his stomach was left unprotected, though the tradeoff was a large speed boost.

Salamence's transformation and power boost didn't faze Verde in the slightest, though it didn't take him long to notice he was alone in that regard. Maintaining his stern facial expression, Verde quickly came up with a plan of attack and snapped his fingers. He quickly turned before issuing the command, and waved for his sisters' attention, which worked better than he could've hoped.

"Get out of here now! And wait for us outside!"

Azul, Negro, and their two Pokemon didn't try to change Verde's mind after hearing the urgency behind each word. Verde waited until all four of them climbed the stairs and took off for the exit before giving Salamence an order.

"Use Dragon Claw!"

Xurkitree didn't move an inch even though Salamence flew straight ahead at the speed of a jet, which allowed Salamence to land a max-effort blow. The Ultra Beast cried out in pain instantly, and it continued to do so after hitting the wall so hard there was an impression of Xurkitree that looked to be roughly three feet deep. Salamence and Verde remained on the offensive, seizing the opportunity to deal substantial damage.

"Quick! Use Dragon Dance followed by Earthquake!" the young man bellowed.

Once he saw a red ring spin around the dragon, Verde retreated halfway up the stairs while keeping an eye on the battle. Salamence descended at the speed of sound and swung his tail like a club, destroying the floor a fraction of a second after hitting it. A wave of dirt rolled across the room and threw Xurkitree against the wall again, crushing the Ultra Beast's body with its weight.

"Keep up the pace, Salamence. Use Flamethrow-"

"TREEEEE!"

A volcano of electricity erupted from the rubble Xurkitree was buried under, hurling the debris in every direction. Salamence soon found himself being pelted by the storm of rubble, and even though he didn't sustain any damage there was something that made him feel uneasy.

Verde had a similar reaction, which could've been described as his heart dropping into his stomach. Lightning bolts shredded what was left of the pile covering Xurkitree, which freed the walking bundle of wires and nearly electrocuted Salamence had he not used Protect.

Verde took a second to compose himself, hunching his shoulders as he exhaled a sigh of relief, and he eyed Salamence. If the Dragon type reacted even a tenth of a second slower than he did, there was no doubt the battle would've ended. Suddenly Verde clenched his fists and stared at the ground, his mind drifting off as Salamence blocked another Thunderbolt attack from Xurkitree with Protect.

 _"_ _The rest of us can't afford to come up empty-handed, so get your shit together."_

Azul's words were burned into his memory, each one hitting harder than the previous. Verde picked his head up and glared at Xurkitree, though the Electric type was too preoccupied with Salamence to pay Verde any attention.

 _I won't let that happen!_

"Salamence, use Double-Edge!"

Salamence shot off the ground as silver light enveloped his body, obeying without hesitation, and he slammed into the Ultra Beast headfirst. They crashed into the wall for a second time with Xurkitree taking the brunt of the damage while Salamence felt a sharp jolt of pain in his head.

Verde either didn't notice his injured friend or didn't care, as he yelled, "Don't stop attacking! Use Dragon Dance and Earthquake!"

The Dragon type fought through the pain and threw his tail downwards while blue orbs spun around him. Xurkitree's reflexes proved far too great, however, as it grabbed Salamence by the tail, thus preventing another Earthquake attack. Verde felt his jaw drop when Xurkitree swung Salamence like a hammer, eliciting a pained cry from the latter Pokemon.

It happened over and over again until a blast of flames shot out of Salamence's mouth, lighting Xurkitree on fire. The Ultra Beast lost its grip and stumbled around the room as the flames grew with each passing second. That didn't stop Verde from giving another command, which drew a confused response from Salamence.

"But it looks like it's really in pain!"

"That's part of the mission! Now finish it with Earthquake!"

Salamence recoiled before eventually slamming his tail against the ground, shaking his head while doing so. Xurkitree's screams turned into silence when clobbered by the super-effective attack, and Salamence immediately reverted back to his normal form.

He and Verde locked eyes in silence before the young man turned away and headed up the stairs. Salamence shook his head and followed Verde, but not before he looked back at the ravaged basement. All of the generators somehow managed to remain unharmed, though the same couldn't be said about the rest of the room. The flooring was torn apart, the wires were slashed, and one of the walls had an imprint of Xurkitree.

Then there was the mound of dirt topped with flooring and bits and pieces of the ceiling - Xurkitree had yet to show any signs of living, much to Salamence's dismay.

When Verde and Salamence emerged from New Mauville, they were bombarded with questions about their battle, followed by praise, and finally gratitude.

Meanwhile, in New Mauville's basement, an explosion of electricity occurred from underneath the dirt. Xurkitree slowly picked itself up, surveyed the room, and took one step before both of its legs gave out. Oddly enough, the Electric type didn't seem to be in any pain, rather it was exhausted.

Xurkitree took a moment to examine its surroundings one more time, and something caught its eye right away. Dragging itself across the room, Xurkitree lifted its arms and tapped the generator a few times. Then the Ultra Beast pierced the machine with the prongs on its tail, and a current of electricity flowed around its body.

After there was nothing left in the generator, Xurkitree sprung to its feet and headed for the stairs until it noticed, and approached another generator - if someone was to enter the basement, it'd be the generator nearest them on the left.

Sparks danced around Xurkitree's body while some of the wires began to change from black to yellow. Once the two other generators lost all of their energy, Xurkitree noticed how static formed around its glowing limbs almost like armor and proceed to turn towards the stairs. It stared at the spot where Verde sat, and then at the wall with an imprint of its body.

Xurkitree punched at the air several times before spinning around, its focus returning to what mattered more than anything at that very moment: killing Verde and Salamence.

 **000**

Thomas rolled his eyes. Then he rolled them a second time. And when he did it a third time, Louise gave him an "are you kidding me?" type of look that put an end to the obnoxious reaction. After doing so, Louise glanced at Aiden and Ashley while she cleared her voice.

"As I was saying, it's crazy how you all know one other! Think about how many trainers there are in Hoenn right now, and the only ones each of you know are right here!"

"That's not true! Ashley doesn't know him," Combusken told Louise as he pointed at Aiden, only to receive his trainer's most terrifying glare yet. Just like every other time she gave him the death stare, Ashley deadpanned when Combusken flashed a toothy smile in response. The worst part about him smiling was that he didn't do it sarcastically, it was a genuine response.

 _Why are the dumb ones always the happiest?_ she thought with a sigh.

"Uh... I'm Aiden. We met in Rustboro City when you battled Lisia."

Ashley returned to the physical world upon hearing the younger trainer's voice. She examined Aiden's face for a couple of seconds, though when she didn't recognize him, or the name he said, Ashley shook her head.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

Combusken jumped up and down, asking, "Who's Lasagna? That's a name I'd remember!"

Aiden and Louise laughed at what they thought was a joke, though Thomas wasn't amused in the slightest as he shook his head and continued jotting down notes.

 _Why_ _are the dumb ones always the happiest?_ he thought with a sigh.

"Hey Louise, how did you and Thomas meet?" Aiden asked.

His focus shifted between the eldest trainer at the table and the quietest a few dozen times because neither Louise nor Thomas answered, as the latter ignored everything said around him while the former tried to remember their first interaction. A whole minute went by without so much as a peep from either trainer, that is until Louise's face lit up and she broke out laughing.

"Gengar and I were on our way to Littleroot Town when we came across two Fletchinder and two Talonflame chasing after Thomas. Gengar scared them off, and then he just got up and walked away without thanking us."

"I waved." The Alolan didn't look up from his notebook even as he continued to speak, not that he needed to. "And Fletchling was hurt by those damn birds, so I didn't have time."

"A simple 'thank you' would've taken too long?"

"If I said it to _you_ , then yes."

The traveling companions kept bickering, eliciting hearty laughs from both Aiden and Combusken. Ashley rolled her eyes and stood up to leave, yet because of that she became the center of attention, dashing any hopes she had of leaving without anyone noticing.

"Mister Wattson? What are you doing here?" asked Louise.

Ashley, puzzled by both the question and how nobody was looking at her, turned to see an old man in a Hawaiian shirt waddle towards herself and the others.

"Hohohoho! I could ask you the same thing, young lady," he retorted with a smirk before noticing the three younger trainers. "Where are my manners? Name's Wattson, and I'm Mauville's Gym Leader."

Aiden, Ashley, and Thomas looked the elderly man over a second time, eliciting another hearty laugh from him.

"Tough to believe, I know. Anyhow..." Wattson's voice trailed off as he returned his attention to Louise, who remained quiet despite not having her question answered. "Heard there was a fire and I wanted to check it out. And apparently most of the city lost energy, so I need to check on the generators in New Mauville to get things up and running."

Wattson placed his hands on his hips and sighed before adding, "Problem is people are going crazy and nobody'll be around to keep things under control."

Thomas grunted, simultaneously agreeing with what Wattson said and refusing to lend a hand. His ears twitched, however, when Ashley did the same thing, and they locked eyes for a second before turning away with scowls. Louise and Aiden were the exact opposite as they raised their hands to volunteer, much to the dismay of Ashley and Thomas.

"Leave the city to us, Mister Wattson! We'll make sure nothing crazy happens!" Louise proclaimed, punching her fist into the air while Gengar crossed her arms and nodded.

Aiden followed the elder trainer's lead and said, "That's right. Go check out the generators, and take your time." Both Lopunny and Scyther cheered in unison, generating laughter from Wattson.

"Thanks to both of you. Stay safe out there."

Wattson waddled his way off the premises at the speed of light, and when the Gym Leader was out of sight Louise approached Thomas and put her arm around his shoulder. He groaned after failing to get away from the elder trainer, who flashed a toothy smile. There was no chance Louise would let him sit around and do nothing, especially after she promised Wattson nothing would happen under her watch.

"Fine. But I'm working on my own."

"As long as you actually do something, that's fine with me. Ashley, you're helping us too."

After the younger girl scoffed, Louise put her arm over Ashley's shoulder and didn't let go. Ashley complied just like Thomas had moments earlier, and like the Alolan, she demanded to work on her own. Louise gave the same answer and the black-haired girl muttered something under her breath while motioning for Combusken. The Fire type skipped to Ashley's side and waved to everyone as he and his trainer headed for downtown Mauville City.

Thomas suddenly got up, walked away, and released all of his Pokemon from their Poke Balls without a word. He didn't even speak after Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke greeted him, though he did at least acknowledge them with a grunt.

"What's we's doin' at dis time o' night, Boss? Ya bettuh not try glommin' no banks, dat ain't my style."

"Were you dropped on your head as a baby, or did the deaf teach you how to speak?"

Fletchling and Slowpoke traded insults despite Grovyle's attempts to intervene. Unlike his starter, Thomas kept his eyes on the enormous buildings and ignored the argument while Mimikyu studied his teammates. Nothing they did went unnoticed no matter how subtle, and because of that he locked his eyes on Grovyle, who hadn't given up on putting an end to the fight.

 _Judging by the look in her eyes, she knows those twits won't stop fighting,_ Mimikyu thought. _What a shame. I thought this game would last longer._

Grovyle hung her head after Fletchling and Slowpoke pushed her out of the way, though her disappointment subsided when Mimikyu used both of his limbs made of shadows to grab and separate the feuding Pokemon. He looked at Fletchling and then Slowpoke, letting them go once his bloodthirsty glare put an end to their argument, and he scurried after Thomas before Grovyle could thank him.

 _Hopefully he makes this game more challenging than those three, otherwise they're all dead._

The thought echoed in Mimikyu's mind after catching up with Thomas and studying his body language to get a read on him. Thomas glanced down at the tiny Pokemon and locked eyes with him, freezing Mimikyu in place while Thomas continued to saunter down the sidewalk. He stared at his trainer until something, or someone, tapped him on the back. Mimikyu whipped his head around to see each of his three teammates, who glanced at one another before Slowpoke decided she'd talk.

"You okay? You're shaking," the quadruped inquired, causing her teammate to shake his head.

"Oh, I'm more than okay."

Mimikyu couldn't help but smile as wide as he physically could, not that it mattered, since his face was covered and his teammates were too busy talking to each other about something he didn't care about - Mimikyu automatically zoned out whenever something boring or stupid came up, a habit he developed during his second day as a member of Thomas' team.

He couldn't help but picture the look in Thomas' eye, which sent chills down his spine when he compared it to the young man's usual aloof expression. Mimikyu managed to keep pace with Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke but every time he heard what they were talking about, he found himself replaying his brief interaction with Thomas. Every single time that happened, the cloth-wearing Pokemon found himself saying the same thing: _This_ _game just got interesting._

Thirty minutes later, the four Pokemon finally caught up to Thomas and looked around at the lightless buildings. Every single apartment and office looked vacant, and even the streetlights weren't working. There were, however, people filling the streets - not sidewalks, streets - while those who stayed inside were loud enough to be heard all throughout the city. Thomas scratched his head as he scanned the area, but he took off after nothing caught his attention.

"Thomas, wait!"

The aforementioned trainer's head slumped as he groaned, and he looked at Slowpoke after turning around, asking, "What?"

"What the hell are we doing? And why the hell are there no lights?"

The Water type began to snarl after ten seconds of silence, yet she didn't do anything even though Thomas _still_ hadn't responded. Her patience was eventually rewarded, as Thomas removed his hands from the pocket of his hoodie.

"Louise promised Mauville's Gym Leader that we'd keep everyone under control during the blackout, and he's going to check on the generators."

"If it was her idea, why isn't she with us?" Grovyle asked.

"I wanted to do this alone." Thomas turned his back to his team and headed down the street without saying another word, ignoring every question, remark, and demand thrown his way - only Slowpoke and Fletchling bothered doing so.

Grovyle refrained from joining her teammates in their attempt to break Thomas' silence, though unlike the others her eyes remained glued to the Alolan. She had an odd feeling in her gut, one that was screaming "something bad's going to happen!" For as much as she wanted to listen to it, Grovyle followed Thomas instead.

Although the decision seemed insignificant at the time, both Thomas and Grovyle would soon learn how it changed their lives forever.

 **000**

"Golly! You sure do know a lot of bad words, Ashley," Combusken said aloud, as if he was announcing it to the world. "Where'd you learn em? A book or somethin'?"

Although she tried to ignore her Pokemon, Ashley failed. She didn't know if it was because of how loud Combusken was, or how stupid the things he said were, but what she did know was that she needed to buy ear plugs - holding in all of the frustration wasn't good for her.

A few minutes later the sweet sound of silence rang in Ashley's ears, Combusken having run out of things to say, so she smiled and slowed down her pace. She looked at every building on either side of the street and ran a hand through her curly hair, which Combusken saw out of the corner of his eye.

He turned almost immediately and said, "It's so dark out I couldn't even see your hair! Isn't that weird? I think it is. Why does the sky get so dark anyway?"

Combusken continued asking every single question that came to his mind, turning Ashley smile into a scowl faster than the speed of light. Even so, what he said about it being so dark out stuck with the young woman, as she brought her hand up to her chin and started muttering to herself.

 _No! No! I... I_

Ashley felt all of the muscles in her body tense up as the thought progressed. She looked down and saw her hands shaking- no, trembling, as she retreated back to her mind.

 _They can't go through that! NO!_

Without any warning, Ashley bolted past the police and into the burning building. Her neck snapped to the left and then the right as she scanned the lobby for stairs, and when she spotted them she took off, unaware of Combusken sprinting after her.

"Ashley! Wait!" he screamed, flying up the stairs with one arm covering his mouth.

His shouting stopped Ashley for a fraction of a second, but the young woman resumed sprinting up the stairs until she reached the ninth floor. The smoke grew thicker and thicker the higher the floor was, and the ninth was by far the worst - neither Ashley nor Combusken could see a thing. That didn't stop the former from heading down the hallway and into the raging fires scattered throughout the floor, forcing Combusken to continue his pursuit.

The Fire Type attempted to call out for Ashley but his lungs were filled with smoke the instant he opened his mouth, making what was already a terrible situation even worse. Even though Water Types were douing the flames from outside, that wasn't helping Combusken or Ashley breathe, as the fire grew more intense with each passing second. Using his free hand, Combusken wiped the sweat from his brow, only to realize his whole body was soaked because of how hot it was.

Scurrying down the hallway with one arm extended, the Fire Type tripped over something and hit the ground face-first. He did everything in his power to keep from screaming, using his memory of choking on smoke to his advantage. Once Combusken was back on his feet, he turned to the right and placed a hand against the wall. He then sped back towards the stairs until he felt nothing but air, or rather he discovered an open door.

 _Wait! If I crawl I'll get more air than if I stand!_ he thought, suddenly dropping to the floor.

Combusken inhaled slightly and took in nothing but oxygen, proving his assertion was right. He couldn't help but beam at the fact, at least until he remembered Ashley was somewhere inside the burning building. With that thought in mind, he took off and searched the apartment high and low, breaking down every door in his way before concluding his trainer wasn't there.

The Fire Type continued to crawl around every apartment on the ninth floor until finally reaching the last one. Like the first apartment Combusken checked, it was already open, which all but confirmed Ashley was inside. Combusken knew she had to be running out of air if she hadn't already, sending him into a frenzy as he zipped around the living room. He checked under the couch and chairs, and then went into the kitchen and opened the cabinets. No sign of Ashley; and no sign of the kids. At least, that was the case until Combusken heard a faint cough near the bedrooms.

He arrived at the room, which was engulfed in the thickest, darkest cloud of smoke he'd ever seen, and the coughing grew louder. Combusken closed his eyes and cussed wildly before covering his mouth and entering the bedroom. He relied entirely on his hearing and quickly made his way towards whoever was coughing, and he tapped them with his finger before grabbing the person. Combusken swung his arm out again, only to slap two other people, but he didn't have time to dwell on that. Instead, he grabbed them too and dragged them all out of the bedroom.

"Lay down and crawl! You'll be able to breathe!" he ordered before examining each of the three people.

One of them - the one that had been coughing - was Ashley, and the other two were the woman's children. They all dropped to their stomachs and passed Combusken, Ashley leading the charge, and the quartet soon reached the stairs at the end of the hallway. Unlike the one Ashley and Combusken scaled, there was hardly any smoke in this stairwell, making their escape as easy as counting to three.

Both trainer and Pokemon followed the children outside and to the front of the building, where they were swarmed by police and greeted to an explosion of cheers from the crowd. The police chief approached Ashley all of a sudden, his face as red as a tomato.

"What were you _thinking_?! We told you not to run into that damn building, yet you did it anyway!" He pointed at the young woman for a second before jabbing her. As the man continued to scream at Ashley, Combusken walked over and noticed she was about to be jabbed a second time. Combusken grabbed ahold of the the police chief's finger before it could reach Ashley, and he tightened his grip while locking eyes with the man.

"Do that to her one more time, and I'll snap your neck," he hissed, pressing his nose up against the man's. "Now go pretend that you matter, sack of shit."

Shoving the man a few feet back and into a crowd of officers, Combusken turned his attention to Ashley and flashed a toothy smile. He stopped, however, when he saw Ashley staring at him, slack-jawed and as pale as a ghost.

"Oh no, did I not do that right? You know, like that time in Rustboro City when you told that one guy he was a-" Combusken's rambling continued, in part because he couldn't tell what Ashley's reaction meant.

 _He said exactly what I said to that guy in Rustboro verbatim. And he pushed him just like I did._ The young woman took a moment to let that sink in. _I never thought he'd actually grow a spine._

About fifteen minutes went by, all of which Ashley spent regaining her composure. When that time ran up, she and Combusken turned to leave, but not before the mother of the children rushed towards them.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't. Any decent person would do the same thing."

Tucking her short, curly black hair behind her ear, Ashley walked away from the mother and two children. Combusken matched her stride for stride and waved to the family until it joined the sea of people and firefighters, making it impossible for the Fire type to see either the mother or her children. Once his back was to the crowd, Combusken smiled and looked at his trainer.

"Golly, Ashley! I didn't know our training made _you_ stronger too!"

All Ashley could do was pinch the bridge of her nose and mutter to herself for a while until her blood wasn't boiling. "It doesn't, you nitwit."

"Then how come you never jumped into a burning building until now?"

Ashley tried to conjure up some elaborate answer, but her tongue was tied. Her heart rate spiked when the real reason she leapt into action entered her mind, but she didn't dare reveal it - not now, not ever. Given the choice between death and revealing why she acted, she'd choose the former every time, and that wasn't hyperbole.

"I knew it! Everyone call me stupid, but I knew you got stronger from training!" Combusken exclaimed. "Hahaha! I can't wait to see the looks on everyone's faces when they find out!"

For the first time ever, Ashley enjoyed listening to Combusken's idiotic tangent. After all, it was better than talking about why she ignored the firefighters' orders and jumped into the burning building - anything would've been.

 **000**

Louise and Aiden sauntered down the street, both listening to Lopunny's seemingly-never-ending series of questions as she twirled around like a ballerina.

"Why's your hair purple? Where are you from? What's it like there?"

"Lopunny, leave her alone already!" Aiden shouted, his tone making it sound more like he was begging. "Sorry about her. Whenever she meets someone she always does this."

The Normal type stopped on a dime and turned to face her trainer, causing Aiden to flinch. She then folded her arms over her chest and stomped as if she was a child. Louise tried stifling her laughter, and once she realized neither Gengar nor Aiden found the situation amusing she stopped in a flash.

"Really? Because you kept asking Ashley questions today at lunch until she stormed off."

Lopunny looked up at the night sky and stroked her chin before shaking her head. "Don't remember that."

Aiden sighed as Lopunny turned her back to him and skipped down the street without another word, leaving her trainer speechless while Louise glanced at Gengar and smiled to herself.

"Say, Aiden," she said, grabbing the younger trainer's attention. "I never asked - and I know Thomas certainly didn't - but how many badges do you have?"

Aiden rubbed the back of his head and smiled rather sheepishly before raising his index finger.

"We aren't on pace to qualify for the league, at the moment."

Once again, the sixteen-year-old hung his head and sighed, but he surprised Louise and Gengar when he looked up and gave a confident smile. "But that's okay, because I'm not aiming for that."

"Then why are you traveling?" asked Gengar, who seemed to mirror her trainer's stride and pace. "If it's personal, feel free to not-"

She stopped talking when Aiden waved his hands, as if he was telling her it wasn't a big deal. He then took a deep breath and stared straight ahead before the elder trainer or her Pokemon noticed the twinkle in his eyes.

"There's something I have to prove to everyone back home, so I figured traveling across Hoenn would help me do just that."

Slowly, Aiden extended his arm out and clenched his hand into a fist, a smile stretching across his face as he did so.

 _And there's also the promise I made,_ Aiden thought, only to have his concentration snapped by a random thought.

He suddenly turned to the purple-haired girl, who appeared to be zoning out, and asked, "What about you, Louise?"

The moment she heard the question, Louise glanced to her right and noticed Gengar had taken off in pursuit of Lopunny. She frowned and gazed up at the stars for awhile.

"I hurt a lot of people that were close to me, and I need to make things right."

Chills ran down Aiden's spine as he listened to Louise. Her words were solemn, and terrifyingly so. How someone that bubbly had such a serious side both befuddled and scared Aiden, which Louise didn't notice.

"I don't know if I'll ever make amends for what I did, but that won't stop me from trying." She closed her hands as tight as she could. "Even if it takes me a thousand years, I _will_ make things right."

Neither trainer said another word even after they caught up their Pokemon, yet Lopunny kept going on and on about anything and everything she saw, making their silence unnoticeable. The quartet continued to patrol the streets, stopping every so often to guide someone back to their home, reunite a child with their parents, or reassure a crowd of angry citizens that the power would be back shortly.

"I swear, if one more person gets in my face I'm going to bludgeon them with my fists." Gengar hissed as she and the others walked away from the third crowd of enraged citizens. "Why did you tell Wattson we'd do this?" she shouted after spinning around to face her trainer, who replied with a slick grin.

"Are you saying this is too difficult for you?" Louise shot back.

"What?! No!"

"That's what it sounds like to me."

Gengar scowled at Louise for a minute or so, though she stopped to throw her arms up and sigh once she realized Louise was going to keep teasing her. Aiden and Lopunny kept quiet as they watched the interaction, and the moment they smiled at each other they, as well as Louise and Gengar, heard an explosion down the street. None of the four hesitated, as they all immediately rushed towards the action.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the scene, and when they did they saw a group of people wearing ski masks. Each one of them had a burlap sack slung over their shoulder, and they leapt out of the shattered window display one at a time. Even though there were tons of people looking on from afar, nobody did a thing to stop the thieves, who paid no attention to the bystanders. Aiden blinked a handful of times and stood as still as a statue just like Lopunny, who hadn't stopped moving until that point. Both he and his Pokemon broke out of their paralyzed states when a pair of figures came into their line of sight, and when they looked to their left neither of them saw Louise or Gengar.

The former of the two did her best to keep up with the latter, but because Gengar was able to fly, Louise was left in the dust. At least, that was the case until she ripped a Poke Ball off her belt and hurled it forwards. After the spherical device snapped open, Golurk appeared and tilted its head when Louise jumped on its arm.

"Follow Gengar, and hurry!" the young woman screamed, pointing into the air and at Gengar.

A nearly-inaudible grunt came from Golurk, and had the man made creature not nodded, Louise wouldn't have prepared for takeoff. Using both rockets in its feet, Golurk shot into the air at mach speed and caught up to Gengar in no time. Louise kept her arms wrapped tightly around Golurk's neck as she scanned the street, and when she spotted the robbers, she patted Golurk's shoulder twice.

Warning its trainer with another nod, Golurk motioned for Gengar to follow before passing the robbers and nosediving about fifty feet in front of them. Somehow, the man made Pokemon landed so softly Louise didn't feel anything and kept her eyes shut until Golurk plucked her off its back and placed her on the ground by its side. They landed roughly thirty feet away from the robbers, who could tell just from the look in Louise's and Golurk's eyes that they were there to stop them.

The five people spun around and saw Gengar standing in the middle of the road, acting as a wall just like her trainer and teammates, putting the robbers in quite the unfortunate situation. They all looked back and forth between Golurk and Gengar before sprinting towards the latter, who shook her head moments after their decision. Gengar slowly brought her hands together, slammed them against the ground, and let out a battle cry as everything between her and Louise was engulfed in shadows. Golurk also acted without an order from its trainer, as it zipped around the area grabbing every bystander as fast as it could until there weren't any more. It then nodded at its teammate while placing the dozen or so citizens at the end of the block, allowing Gengar to act.

"RAAH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, stopping the robbers dead in their tracks.

Nanoseconds later, gigantic hands made of shadows shot out of the ground and grabbed hold of all five robbers, immobilizing them in an instant. Gengar kept her hands pressed against the street, Golurk flew around to retrieve the burlap sacks, and Louise directed people away from the area until the police arrived. Aiden kept close to Louise as she spoke to the local authorities and Lopunny helped detain the criminals. Once all five of them were in handcuffs, the criminals were thrown into cop cars and taken to jail, but not before the police thanked Gengar, Louise, and Golurk.

"Thanks for the help, you three," an officer said as he removed his cap and bowed, prompting Louise and Gengar to do the same. Golurk, meanwhile, made the officer laugh by flexing several times.

Gengar folded her arms over her chest and eyed the man with a scowl. "What's our reward?"

Louise turned to her starter and whispered venomously, though that didn't faze Gengar in the slightest. The officer chuckled for awhile before shaking his head, causing Gengar to curl her lips in disgust. Louise, on the other hand, bowed to the man over and over again until he told her not to. When he did, she let out a sigh of relief and cleared her throat, drawing the officer's attention.

"We'd like to help in any way possible, sir, so would you tell us if there are more crimes being committing nearby?" Louise inquired with the utmost respect, which made Gengar roll her eyes.

"Haha! You and your Pokemon have done more than enough to help, Miss. Let us take things from here."

Louise didn't get the chance to protest, as the officer hopped into his car and sped off in the blink of an eye. Shortly thereafter, Louise headed towards the sidewalk nearest her and sat down with a sigh. Gengar and Aiden followed suit and took a seat on either side of Louise, who rested her face in her hands while pouting like a child.

"Why didn't he want us to help? You," she said, pointing at Gengar, "and Golurk caught those robbers like that." Louise snapped her fingers for emphasis as she spoke her last word. Without looking up from the ground, Louise withdrew Golurk and clipped its Poke Ball back onto her belt.

Twiddling his thumbs as he examined his surroundings, Aiden briefly peeked at Louise and remained quiet. He didn't know what to say to her, and he wasn't about to try to make things better in case the opposite happened.

"Probably because we'd do their job better than they could. Then they'd be out of work and all of that taxpayer money would go towards building the community and lowering crime rates, rendering police nearly useless." Gengar leaned back and spat on the road with her usual scowl.

Louise didn't acknowledge her Pokemon's answer, irking the Ghost type. However, Gengar inhaled deeply to calm herself down, and within seconds her anger faded away.

All of a sudden, Lopunny twirled over to the two trainers and Gengar, grabbing their attention with her acrobatic flips. Once she saw everyone looking at her, the bipedal bunny ran forward with her eyes lighting up, shouting, "We should go looking for another crime! I bet that'll change their minds!"

Aiden motioned for Lopunny to drop the subject right then and there - she didn't understand what he was trying to say, so she repeated herself a few times - but he stopped and looked at Louise when he noticed she stood up. After she tucked her purple hair behind her ears, the young woman flashed an ear-to-ear smile and gave Lopunny a thumbs up.

"That's a great idea! Let's go, everyone!" she ordered while heading towards, and then down, a side street before Aiden or either Pokemon could even think of a response.

A loud groan escaped Gengar's mouth before she muttered a stream of cusses and stormed off after her trainer with Aiden and Lopunny in tow. The trio walked down a series of random streets and side streets, struggling to keep pace with, and track of, Louise, who was running so fast would've put an olympic sprinter to shame.

Louise continued her happy-go-lucky hunt for criminals, but if she had known what she, Aiden, and their Pokemon were heading towards, she'd have listened to the policeman's advice.

 **000**

Fletchling landed on Thomas' shoulder and wiped the sweat from his brow, ignoring the bone-chilling glare his trainer gave him. The robin was too busy chatting with an elderly woman, who was cradling three Skitty, while Grovyle and Slowpoke sat on the sidewalk. They were covered in scratches, and the enraged expression on the latter's face drew attention from the elderly woman's three Skitty, who purred and swiped at the air almost like they were taunting Slowpoke - and Grovyle, to a lesser extent.

"If they were just a few feet closer, I'd wring their necks," the Water type mumbled loud enough for Grovyle to hear.

Mimikyu stood to the side by his lonesome and looked on in silence, taking note of how Slowpoke handled taunting with a sigh. Grovyle and her lack of a response drew yet another sigh from the cloth-wearing Pokemon, whose eyes darted to the right and at Fletchling.

 _A hothead, a wimp, and a loudmouth._

Mimikyu's train of thought drifted off the instant he looked over his teammates for a second time, sighing louder and louder.

 _What value does the human see in them?_ he asked himself, focusing solely on Thomas. _Perhaps he has the brainpower of a walnut, just like the bird, and can't see garbage._

After Thomas and the three other Pokemon walked away from the grandma, Mimikyu slowly rose from his spot on the bench and tailed them, analyzing each of them like always.

They walked in a row, Grovyle being the furthest from Thomas and there was also a noticeable distance between her and Slowpoke, which made Mimikyu's eyes twinkle.

 _Timid and not getting along with the fat one. Pathetic._

Next, he focused on Slowpoke, who peeked back at Thomas over a billion times while leading the team down the street.

 _Masks insecurity about being abandoned by acting like a leader and getting into fights. Worthless._

Then there was Fletchling, who rested on Thomas' shoulder and made irrelevant comments.

 _Knows he's stupid and does anything to prove his worth, probably caused by knowing his family didn't love him. Garbage._

Last but not least was Thomas, who stared at the ground and kept his hands tucked in the front pocket of his hoodie.

 _He looks timid, but he isn't. Perhaps it's being tired, or maybe it's just comfortable. I can't get a read on him, even by analyzing his facial expressions. This human's quite interesting._

Whether he sensed Mimikyu's staring or just so happened to look backwards didn't matter. What did was how Thomas instantly locked eyes with his cloth-wearing Pokemon, both refusing to turn away. For whatever reason, Mimikyu began to shake ever so slightly, but Thomas couldn't tell from afar. The Ghost type focused on the emptiness in Thomas' eyes, and he smiled like a maniac underneath his cloth.

 _That's not the look of depression, yet everything about him reads as such._ Mimikyu's shaking became more intense, and his smile literally stretched across his face. _Yes... Yes! This is the challenge I wanted!_

When Thomas turned away from Mimikyu, the aforementioned Pokemon stopped walking and began to quiver. He kept picturing the soulless look in his trainer's eyes, making him quiver even more violently than before. Suddenly, Mimikyu's eyes shot wide open and he kept them glued to Thomas despite how much they were trembling.

 _I can't wait. I can't wait… to end you._

About ten minutes passed, during which nothing happened other than Fletchling rescuing roughly a dozen Skitty in trees, and they all belonged to grandmas that, to Thomas, legitimately looked ancient. He nearly vomited once he spotted one grandma's wrinkles having wrinkles, which had wrinkles, and Grovyle shared her trainer's queasiness.

"All o' dem fahssils gotta be trackin' us," Fletchling claimed, his eyes shifting from Thomas to Slowpoke to Grovyle. "We's gotta lam real fast, den dey ain't gonna find us."

Both girls and the Alolan stared at Fletchling in silence after failing to decipher what was just said.

Finally, Grovyle broke the silence and asked, "What does 'lam' mean?"

This time it was Fletchling who stared in utter confusion before replying, "Layin' low. Dang, Dollface, dat brain o' youhs ain't workin' good."

"How ironic," Slowpoke retorted with a sly smirk, only for it her jaw to hit the ground when Fletchling spoke.

"Ain't dat da truth," he said, silencing the group through sheer stupidity as only he could.

Both Grovyle and Thomas tried to play the response off by looking down the pitch black street, and had they not, neither of them would've realized that there wasn't a soul in sight. And while Thomas wasn't bothered by that realization in the slightest, Grovyle whipped her neck every which way whenever she heard a sound - real or fake, it didn't matter. It didn't take long for Fletchling and Slowpoke to also realize they hadn't seen anybody for a handful of minutes, both of whom had similar reactions to their teammate.

"Hey Thomas, I think we should head back now," Slowpoke opined.

Being his usual self, Thomas acted as if he didn't hear his Pokemon's concern. The only sounds any of the five heard were their footsteps, which bounced off the buildings and carried down the street, creating an echo that made Grovyle, Fletchling, and Slowpoke shudder. Mimikyu and Thomas, on the other hand, kept chugging down the street without uttering a word, though neither minded the silence.

"Boss, ain't da action goin' on in utta pahts o' da city?"

"Yup."

"Ain't we's lookin' fuh dat stuff? Not doin' what da broad wit da goofy hayah says ain't smaht."

"She won't know if we do anything," Thomas said while glancing over his shoulder and at Fletchling. "So we're going to the dead part of the city where nothing happens."

Thomas watched the fear on Fletchling's, Slowpoke's, and Grovyle's faces disappear in a flash, not that he cared. At least, that's what he told himself as he couldn't help but smile.

"In the event that a crime transpires before us, may we intervene?" Mimikyu inquired, staring at Thomas - or rather, through Thomas.

The seventeen-year-old shrugged, his smile having been replaced by an emotionless expression. "Sure. I don't care."

If Mimikyu wasn't wearing a cloth, his trainer and teammates would've seen nothing but bloodlust plastered on in his face and in his eyes. Even though nobody was aware of it, Grovyle felt her eyes shift toward Mimikyu, for whatever reason, and she stared at the back of his head. Upon doing so, the gecko slowed down and made sure to keep her distance from the tiny Pokemon.

"What measures may we take when intervening?"

"Don't care. Just make sure not to kill anyone," the Alolan said.

Mimikyu glared at Thomas, clearly not taking kindly to the latter's tongue-in-cheek comment while Grovyle, on the other hand, felt her heart rate skyrocket. Both Slowpoke and Fletchling joined Grovyle as spectators without saying a word, focusing on nothing but the intense staredown between their trainer and teammate.

Thomas and Mimikyu continued to wage non-verbal warfare on each other despite footsteps echoing towards them, and Slowpoke, Grovyle, and Fletchling were also too wrapped up in the confrontation to hear the sound.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here."

Every member of the quintet slowly turned towards the stranger who had just spoken and examined him. He was accompanied by two other men, and they all looked identical, as each man was bald with bulging muscles that were bigger than Thomas' head. They all wore sleeveless vests, towered over the seventeen-year-old, and each had one tattoo that completely covered their faces. Deducing they were gang members wasn't rocket science, at least that was the case for everyone not named Fletchling, who squinted to get a better look at the three tattoos.

"Why's dey dressin' up like it's dat spooky holiday, Boss?" asked the robin, who silenced his teammates and trainer once again.

Like Thomas and his other Pokemon, the three gang members were at a loss for words. Fletchling noticed as much and, after rubbing the back of his head, smiled sheepishly at his teammates and trainer.

"Boys, let's not take any longer than we have to!" one of the men shouted as he stepped forward, armed with a Great Ball.

Both of the other gang members cheered in response while drawing Great Balls of their own, and all three of them hurled the devices at the same time.

Emerging from the Great Balls from left to right were three dog-like creatures that were yellow, red, and blue, respectively. They had very similar faces, though their physiques were quite different, as the yellow one had a slender body, the red one was covered in puffy fur, and the blue one's skin resembled that of a fish in a way.

"Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon?"

"Sounds like he's quakin' in his boots!" Jolteon's trainer opined in the form of a yell.

Thomas closed his eyes and breathed in, assessing the situation while all four of his Pokemon looked ready to fight at a moment's notice. Even though the gang members had the chance to take advantage of Thomas' lack of attention, they snickered while waiting for him to open his eyes.

 _Jolteon's a speedy long-range attacker, Flareon's a physical attacker, and Vaporeon's a wall. This'll be tough,_ he thought.

One of the men's voices rang in Thomas' ears, breaking his focus as he heard, "What's the matter, kid? Too scared to move already?"

The one that spoke - Vaporeon's trainer - cackled along with his companions as Thomas opened his eyes and glanced at his four Pokemon. They stopped laughing, however, when Thomas extended his hand and shouted three names.

"Fletchling! Slowpoke! Mimikyu!"

The aforementioned Pokemon approached their opponents at two wildly different speeds - Slowpoke and Fletchling bolted towards them while Mimikyu took his time as he sauntered down the road. Slowpoke lined up on the left side of the row with Vaporeon, Mimikyu on the right with Jolteon, and Fletchling in the middle with Flareon.

Without any warning, the gang members started the battle, much to Thomas' shock - which was laughable. Pulling a dirty trick like that shouldn't have come as a shock, considering the three men were criminals.

"Jolteon, use Shock Wave on Fletchling!"

"Vaporeon, use Muddy Water!"

"Flareon, use Flame Burst on Fletchling!"

All three attacks were fired off before Fletchling and Slowpoke could even blink, making it impossible for either of them to dodge. Unlike his teammates, Mimikyu avoided suffering any damage by throwing himself into the air with his shadow-limbs, which none of his opponents noticed. Unfortunately for Thomas, he too was unaware of his airborne Pokemon, though that didn't stop Mimikyu from taking matters into his own hands.

While Fletchling was electrocuted, burned, and then drowned by a filthy tidal wave along with Slowpoke, Mimikyu descended and latched onto Flareon like a spidermonkey. However, he had no time to strike his foe as a blast of fire shot out of Flareon's coat, and Mimikyu let out a bloodcurdling cry as he was swallowed by the flames. Flareon and its trainer snickered at the sight of Mimikyu's body flopping with the wind before he hit the ground, but Thomas had the last laugh. The cloth-wearing Pokemon immediately stood up and snapped his flopping neck back in place as if nothing happened, flooring the gang members and their Pokemon, as well as Fletchling, Grovyle, and Slowpoke.

"H-how the hell is that thing standing?!" one of the men shouted, spit flying out of his mouth while his partners nodded like bobbleheads.

A smirk crept across Thomas' face as he looked over Mimikyu, who had yet to take his eyes off of Flareon.

 _Disguise is amazing. Too bad it only protects him from one attack._

"Hit Flareon with Shadow Sneak, Mimikyu! Fletchling and Slowpoke, sit back and use Agility and Curse!"

Mimikyu plunged into the road like it was water, drawing any and all attention away from his teammates as they followed their orders.

Thomas narrowed his eyes and didn't blink until the gang members and their Pokemon were busy searching for Mimikyu, and he snapped his fingers at Fletchling and Slowpoke. After Thomas got their attention and gave them another command, both Slowpoke and Fletchling exchanged looks of disgust, though they ultimately sighed and nodded at their trainer.

Grovyle leaned forward in hopes of hearing the plan, but she gave up because Thomas was as quiet as a mouse - even Fletchling and Slowpoke struggled to hear him despite being inches away.

Thomas turned back to the tattooed men, and he was greeted to the sight of Mimikyu flying out of the ground beneath Flareon.

 _CRACK!_

Mimikyu's shadow-fist connected with Flareon's chin, which sent her spinning through the air like a wheel before she crashed into Jolteon and Vaporeon. As that happened, Fletchling grabbed Slowpoke's tail and flapped his wings as quickly as he could. The robin scrunched his face, clearly struggling to ascend because of Slowpoke - she was twenty-times heavier than him, after all - until she opened her mouth and fired a high-pressured blast of water.

Fletchling increased their speed even more when he tucked his wings in and used Quick Attack, leaving Grovyle speechless.

"Now!"

Thomas' voice sounded more like an explosion, at least to Grovyle, as she jumped and covered her ears in response.

Fletchling nosedived the moment he heard Thomas, hurtling towards Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon before he spun head over heels and threw Slowpoke, who continued to use Water Gun while spinning like a drill. All three men caught a glimpse of what was happening, not that it mattered, since there was literally no time for them to counter. Slowpoke, encapsulated in water, crashed into each of her three enemies with such overwhelming force the road cracked and caved in simultaneously, shocking the gang members into silence.

Meanwhile, Grovyle took her eyes off the crater and stared at Thomas. His face was expressionless - just as the gecko expected, yet she still found herself baffled by the almost robotic nature.

 _Wait, did Mimikyu know about the plan?_ she wondered, looking over the aforementioned Pokemon. He stood no more than five inches away from the rim of the crater, causing Grovyle's eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets.

And when Mimikyu made his way back to Thomas, Grovyle realized exactly what happened.

 _He didn't know about it, but Thomas couldn't have told Fletchling and Slowpoke without him!_ If that was true, what did Mimikyu do to help pull it off? _When those guys looked for Mimikyu while he used Shadow Sneak to hide, Thomas noticed and was able to tell Slowpoke and Fletchling!_

Grovyle blocked out every sound - the police sirens and her teammates' voices, in particular - and looked up at the sky in disbelief. The only other time she could remember feeling so baffled was when Thomas explained how he was able to counter Brawly's every move. What he lacked in communication skills and emotions, he made up for in strategizing.

The thought couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, as Thomas turned his back to, and walked away from, Slowpoke and Fletchling in the middle of a one-sided conversation.

He stopped, however, and spun on his heels before strolling past his Pokemon and towards the gang members.

"Here's some advice for when you get out of jail," he said monotonously, his hands tucked in the pocket of his hoodie. "Try mugging someone who isn't walking around with four Pokemon."

Thomas stopped about a foot away from the tattooed men and yawned, unaffected by the glares. He then turned and motioned for them to follow him. Before Thomas could take another step, all three of the men pulled out knives from their pockets and lunged forward. Despite Grovyle and the others seeing what was about to happen, they were too far away to stop the attack - still, Grovyle dashed towards her trainer knowing.

Thomas glanced back and flinched, which eliminated any chance he had at avoiding the blades. As the knives drew closer and the screams of his Pokemon rang in his ears, Thomas closed his eyes expecting his life to flash before his eyes. He couldn't have been more wrong, as a single image came to mind: a human-like mosquito holding a woman by the throat with one hand, and its fist having gone through her stomach.

"NO!"

Thomas opened his eyes and saw a much, much different scene than the one before. A figure appeared out of thin air and punched the man directly in front of it in the face while simultaneously kicking the other two on either of its sides in the face as well. All three men were sent flying in different directions, though the two that were kicked crashed into buildings on both sides of the street.

Once she reached Thomas, Grovyle kept her eyes glued to the unfamiliar figure. The two blades attached to its forearms caught Grovyle's attention immediately, as well as Mimikyu's after he, Fletchling, and Slowpoke gathered around their trainer.

The figure turned around, causing Thomas' Pokemon to jump, and it asked, "You okay, kid?"

It waited for a response only to ask again after a few seconds, snapping Thomas out of his trance. Just as he was about to nod, Thomas looked the figure in the eye and felt his jaw drop.

"You're…" The Alolan paused while the figure leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "You're Gallade Guy!"

The sudden burst of excitement in Thomas' voice made Grovyle jump, and when she glanced at her trainer and saw that he was smiling, she flinched.

" _Who_ is he?" Slowpoke asked, drawing an appalled stare from Thomas.

"He's the most famous vigilante in the world! Hell, he's basically a superhero!"

"Nevuh hoyd of 'em."

Thomas' face dropped before he turned to Gallade Guy, issued an apology on Fletchling's behalf, and bowed. He quickly stood upright and stared at the vigilante.

Just like his name said, Gallade Guy was a Gallade. However, the colors of his body were so unique they didn't even fall under the newly-termed "shiny" category - his face and head were peach while the rest of his body was jet-black - and he could speak multiple languages without a translator, which was unheard of. Everything about him was human, for lack of a better word, thus earning him the name "Gallade Guy."

After Thomas told his Pokemon how the vigilante earned his name, he turned and bowed once again.

"S-sorry about that. I'm just a b-b-big fan," he stammered, eliciting a hearty laugh from Gallade Guy.

"No need to apologise, kid! Not for that, at least."

Thomas and Grovyle each raised an eyebrow in response.

"Not only did you walk up to those thugs, you were dumb enough to turn your back to em!"

Gallade Guy lightly bonked Thomas on the head, feigning anger before he smiled a second later.

"Still, that took a lotta guts standin' up to those guys," he said, drawing a smile from the Alolan, as well as Grovyle. "But that doesn't mean you should go chargin' into danger, that's my job."

Gallade Guy coughed as he turned away from Thomas, and when he spotted blood on his hand, he sported a grave look.

He then peeked back at Thomas, who had the dumbest smile on his face, before asking, "What's your name, kid?"

"Uh… Tom-Thomas Brooks! My name's Thomas Brooks!"

The vigilante kept his back turned to Thomas and couldn't help but grin after hearing the young man apologize a second time for stammering.

"Thomas Brooks, huh? There's a nice ring to it."

Again, Gallade Guy peeked over his shoulder, only this time he focused on Grovyle. She had the same exact smile as her trainer, which was all Gallade Guy needed to see.

"Well, duty calls. See ya around, Terrance!"

And just like that, Gallade Guy vanished without even moving. While the befuddled trio of Mimikyu, Fletchling, and Slowpoke ran around searching for any clue as to how the vigilante disappeared, both Thomas and Grovyle deadpanned at Gallade Guy butchering the former's name.

Unbeknownst to the trainer and his starter, Gallade Guy watched them from the roof of a nearby building until a wave of white aura swallowed him. When it faded Gallade's body was back to its normal color-scheme, and Myles stood next to him.

That didn't last long, as the man stumbled towards a wall and leaned against it. He then took two minutes to slide down it until he was sitting, all the while grabbing his chest.

Gallade watched the whole thing and sighed audibly after strapping a translator around his neck.

"Didn't I tell you to _not_ overexert yourself?"

Myles answered the rhetorical question with a scowl.

"Anyways…" Gallade paused for a moment so that his trainer cool down, and he continued shortly thereafter. "What do you think?"

Myles didn't say a word, instead opting to focus on both Thomas and Grovyle from where he sat. However, after Myles looked down at the blood on his hand, he shook his head and turned away.

"We have to look for that girl from the Pokemon Center. She's the one."

"You're kidding, right? With the condition you're in, we can't use that form for at least twenty-four hours. And that's being generous."

Myles cussed at himself, though he ultimately accepted the fact and began counting down the hours until he'd finally meet the person he'd been searching for.

* * *

 **Dang, that was fun. A ton of stuff happened, most notably Verde and Salamence destroying Xurkitree, and the reappearance of Myles and Gallade was also a thing. Next chapter will pick up where this one left off, so think of it as a part two. There'll be loads of action in it, so get hyped!  
Till then, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "A Hero Arrives**_ ** _"_**

 ** _Xurkitree appears in Mauville and destroys everything in it's path, but Louise, Ashley, and Aiden do everything they can to defeat the Ultra Beast! After Xurkitree defeats them and every other challenger, panic ensues when the Ultra Beast attacks civilians. Meanwhile, Myles and Gallade watch in horror as they're unable to do anything, and when all hope is lost, one trainer rushes in to save the day. Is there any chance they can defeat Xurkitree? Or will they die trying to be a hero?_**

* * *

 **Bonds Arc:** **Mauville City**

 **Chapter 25:** **Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge** **!** **  
** **Chapter 26: The Gift** **  
Chapter 27:** **Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!** **  
Chapter 28: Mono-Type Mission**


	24. A Hero Arrives

**G'day, folks. I'm back with another chapter (obviously) and, like the previous one, a lot of stuff is going down. To summarize what happened last time around, Verde and Salamence crushed Xurkitree and Louise told Wattson that she, Thomas, Ashley, and Aiden would keep Mauville under control during a blackout. While on patrol Louise and Aiden stopped some robbers, Ashley and Combusken rescued two children in a burning building, and Thomas beat up some gang members. Gallade Guy was also introduced, and that's about it. Now let's get going!**

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Lol. 'Twas a good review nonetheless. The CC's and Ashley's scenes were my favorites as well, and for reasons similar to yours. Like you said, the CC's a group of people with actual goals and relationships, not just mindless villains. Glad you mentioned Rojo's interaction with Verde and how Verde put the mission's success (for his siblings) ahead of his own goofy antics. I really wanted both of those to stand out because, again, the CC is a group of people - and they just so happen to be antagonists. As for Ashley having something she cares about, you're right that you'll see it soon enough, and it's funny how Combusken clearly cares for her despite their relationship - it's also funny that she's rubbing off on him. Tom's scene was weird since he was very out-of-character, but there are reasons for it, which you'll learn of eventually. Thanks for reviewing!_

 **BouncingFish:** _Yep. I don't know how, but I forgot to write the beginning of that. In regards to Louise and Aiden being so serious out of nowhere, I agree that it was odd, but there is a reason for the former acting in such a way. Happy to hear you found Thomas' fanboying to be funny, and I was really excited to write Ashley's parts since - as you said - they added a new dimension to her character. You hit the nail on the head with Gallade Guy, and I like the prediction. There's a lot more to Combusken than his goofiness, as you mentioned, and he'll do some Ashley-like things every once in a while. Rojo's been a pleasant surprise - I thought she'd be forgettable because of Verde, but their relationship has thrust her into the spotlight. Speaking of relationships, the one Verde has with his siblings is a blast to write about since it adds so much depth to him as a character. The battle with Xurkitree was supposed to end much, much differently, but because I hated everything about it, I figured readers would as well - I'm relieved to hear how much you liked this one. Shoutout to juxtaposition, plus Tom and Ashley not being as different as they think. Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Loveon:** _Hah! The real Loveon's dead, you poser! All joking aside, it's great to hear from you again and I hope you're doing well. I'm happy to know you've enjoyed the story so far, especially how you like the Color Crew - they're my favorite antagonists ever. As for the Ashley scene, I forgot to write the beginning of it - I jumped from one scene to the next whenever writer's block hit - but I'll go back and fix that while I work on the upcoming chapters. Mimikyu's a freak, but I love him. One thing I wanted to do with every character in this story was make them different than their role like, Verde's a superhero-wannabe but also an antagonist and Thomas is unlikable despite being the protagonist. In Mimikyu's case, he wants to kill the protagonist even though h's supposed to support/help him. Shoutout to Xurkitree rampaging, btw. And thanks for the review!_

 **sparkydragon98:** _Hahaha. If Mimikyu scares you now I can't wait to see how you feel about him in the not-too-distant future. Verde's strong, and unlike the rest of the CC he has five other Pokemon - they're just a little less powerful than Salamence, so there are very few people who could beat him in a battle. I think Ashley has the best past out of anyone, and having her do something heroic was a blast. Combusken and Fletchling are goons, and I'm glad you think they're funny because there's a lot more coming from them these next couple of chapters. Tom is so much more interesting than Gray and Owen, which isn't saying anything. The way his mind works is incredible, and his antisocial nature is the perfect weakness. You're right about Gallade Guy being a fusion of Myles and Gallade, plus there should be more of Tom fanboy-ing in the near future. Great job noticing how Ashley and Tom thought the same thing, plus how their personalities are similar. Thanks for the review!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 20** **, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 19, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 21, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
Mimikyu, (m), level 20, Mimic, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak*, Shadow Claw***

* * *

Combusken wore a cheeky smile as he threw his arms up, drawing the gaze of two sets of eyes. "So after Ashley ran into the burning building, I found out our training actually _does_ make her stronger!"

Everyone in the flashlight-filled park turned and stared at Combusken, who was oblivious to the attention, and then at Ashley. She returned the stares with a menacing scowl, scaring the dozens of passerby. Ashley's scowl became more pronounced with every word that came out of Combusken's mouth, so she ground her teeth to refrain from screaming at him. Not that she needed to, since her mind would go back to one particular moment every time she was about to snap.

 _"Then how come you never jumped into a burning building until now?"_

Only she knew the answer, and that's the way she wanted it to be. Ashley looked up at the night sky as the sound of Combusken's voice kept her from hearing her own thoughts, but just before she could snap she thought of both the question and the answer.

Ashley trembled shortly thereafter, and she immediately reached into the backpack by her side, digging through it as if her life depended on it. She continued to do so until the tips of her fingers grazed a smooth, metal object, which she proceeded to grab and then hold against her chest. Seconds later, the young woman stopped trembling, breathed a sigh of relief, and buried the object in her backpack.

 _You always know how to calm me down._

"Why does it matter if we believe you?"

Rufflet, who was perched on a branch in the tree next to Ashley, looked down at his pouting teammate. Combusken crossed his arms and stared right back at the eaglet before turning his attention to Metang. The floating hunk of metal's eyes flashed blue five times before finally speaking.

"I agree with Rufflet's sentiment. The truth shan't change, regardless of what we think."

Combusken then approached the tree Rufflet was in and stopped inches away from his newest friend. The massive creature laid at the base of the tree with his eyes closed until Combusken poked him until he responded.

"I don't care if she does or not," he said in a low growl, failing to scare off the smiling Fire type.

"You sure are grumpy, Gyarados. What's the matter?"

"You. Now leave me alone."

"But then I can't help you."

Gyarados' only response was a confused expression followed by him shaking his head, which Rufflet happened to do as well.

Metang, on the other hand, slammed its fists together while its eyes flashed blue for a second time, and said, "If I am correct, which I am, _you_ are the cause of Gyarados' grumpiness, Combusken."

The Water type nodded once and closed his eyes, though he soon added, "Don't bother me again, or else I'll kill you. That goes for both of you, too."

While Metang and Rufflet kept quiet out of fear, Combusken marched towards Gyarados and jabbed him right between the eyes. Both spectators remained still with their jaws agape as Gyarados stared daggers at the Fire type, who crouched so they could be at eye-level. Combusken had been on the receiving end of too many glares from Ashley to be scared by the Water type, and he responded with a bone-chilling glare that left all three of his teammates frozen in fear.

"Sleep with one eye open if you want to live."

Combusken didn't move a muscle and continued to glare at Gyarados even as he backed away wide-eyed. Unbeknownst to all four Pokemon, Ashley had been listening since the moment Rufflet spoke, though she had no intentions of intervening at any point between then and now. She was a fan of letting them settle things on their own and made sure they embraced the idea, hence why none of them ever asked about her wellbeing, except for Combusken. He was a special case, however, since he ignored her every time she told him to mind his own business.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed at the thought, though her eyes remained glued to both her starter and Gyarados. All of a sudden, Combusken smiled cheekily and walked away from the Water type, befuddling him and the other two Pokemon.

"One time, Ashley told me, 'If you're going to make threats, you better mean them.' You should try that some time!" Combusken exclaimed.

The aforementioned girl deadpanned. Although the way it was worded made Combusken sound like he was trying to provoke Gyarados, everyone knew he genuinely meant is as advice. Still, that didn't make Gyarados, Metang, and Rufflet any less scared of their teammate, who ran over to Ashley with a smile. They pictured Combusken's glare, and even though nothing was said amongst them, they had the same thought: Combusken's glare looked exactly like Ashley's.

When the Fire type sat down next to her with his stupid smile, Ashley sighed and asked, "What do you want?"

"I'm itching to get back out there and save some people! Oooh! Maybe we can stop a crime too!"

 _Of course. Here we go again._

"Why'd you jump in that buil-"

"Shut up," she snapped, silencing Combusken. "If you never ask me about that damn building again, we'll go."

"I promise I won't!"

Combusken placed his hands on his hips and posed, giving Ashley flashbacks of Green Granite. She sighed at the mental image, rose to her feet, and threw her backpack on before walking towards the park's entrance. The three other Pokemon followed Ashley out of the park and were zapped back into their Poke Balls, leaving the young woman alone with Combusken.

"Hey Ashley!"

"What?"

"Why did you listen to Bernice?"

"It's _Louise_ , you idiot."

"Gee willikers. I have to listen more," Combusken said, laughing shortly thereafter. "So why did you listen to Louise? You never let anyone tell you what to do."

Ashley kept her mouth shut as she pondered the question. She took awhile to find the answer, though when she did she spoke without thinking.

"She scared me into it. I never would've guessed she had that kind of side to her."

Almost immediately after giving the answer, Ashley stopped walking and covered her mouth with her hands. _Did I really just say that?_ she thought, peeking at Combusken to see his reaction. He suddenly started to laugh, which confused Ashley, and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Louis isn't scary. Hahaha!" Combusken continued to laugh while his trainer stared at him, unable to get passed how he got Louise's name wrong again. "You should tell more jokes, Ashley. You're funny!"

Ashley wanted to tell Combusken she wasn't lying, but that would be at the cost of him knowing Louise really _did_ scare her - it was a no-win situation. Ultimately, the young woman went along with Combusken's response despite hating it with every fiber of her being, as the Pokemon started firing off his own jokes left and right.

 _Great. Now I look like a damn clown, AND I have to listen to his comedy routine._

Ashley facepalmed at her thought and Combusken's atrocious punchline, yet she soon found herself smiling at them both. Rather than masking how she felt, Ashley continued smiling as she and Combusken made their way through a crowd gathered outside of Mauville's Gym. The people were screaming their heads off about all sorts of things - when the power would be back and where Wattson was, were the most common - none of which mattered to Ashley.

The young woman had no intention of sticking around, but that's just what she did after noticing Combusken had disappeared. Within seconds of looking over her other shoulder, Ashley spotted the Fire type shove someone to get closer to the front. Instead of calling for him, she decided to follow his lead and barrel through anyone standing in her way, which proved far more efficient than asking people to move.

Ashley reached the front of the crowd and approached Combusken the instant she saw him. Neither said a word to each other, as both of them were more focused on finding out what was happening. Soon enough, a man who looked to be in his twenties stepped out of the Gym and drew hundreds of boos. He didn't react to the crowd's greeting until a minute passed, boos still coming from everyone.

The man sighed. It was abundantly clear to Ashley that he didn't plan for the situation, and after she saw Combusken try to calm anyone nearby, she tossed a Poke Ball forward. Gyarados materialized from the light, his mere presence silencing the crowd faster than Ashley expected, and he slowly opened his eyes. Just as he was about to attack the crowd, Gyarados froze when he saw Ashley and Combusken running his way.

"Shut the hell up and let this guy talk!" the young woman screamed at the top of her lungs. "And if _any_ of you have a problem with that, Gyarados here will rip you apart, limb by limb!"

Gyarados stared at his trainer as he remembered what Combusken said earlier.

 _"One time, Ashley told me, 'If you're going to make threats, you better mean them.'_ _You should try that some time!"_

Judging by the look in her eye, Ashley was dead serious.

 _Combusken_ _wasn't kidding when he said that._

Since Ashley really was serious about her threat, Gyarados let out the loudest, most powerful roar he could in an attempt to keep anyone from annoying his trainer - or rather, he was hoping he wouldn't have to tear someone to shreds.

The sound of silence was deafening, yet when Ashley spun around and nodded at the man, his voice proved even louder.

"We understand your frustration, concern, and disappointment, which is why Wattson is checking on the generators in New Mauville. I'd love to tell you all how long the city will be without power, but we can't do that until Wattson returns in about two hours."

A few people in the crowd began to whisper, though they shut their mouths as soon as Gyarados roared.

"For now, we ask everyone to please stay indoors. Criminal activity has skyrocketed since the blackout, so by not being outside, you all will be helping the police tremendously. Thank you for your time, and come to us right away if you're in any sort of danger."

The man shifted his attention from the crowd to Ashley, Combusken, and Gyarados before bowing. They returned the gesture, and when the man started to turn away, Ashley spoke.

"Do you know where the most crimes are happening?" she asked.

"There's no need for concern, Miss. Your Pokemon are plenty strong enough to prote-"

"I know that already," Ashley interjected, causing the man to scratch his head with a puzzled look. "We're going to lend a ha-"

"It'd be better if you stayed inside." This time Ashley was cut off by the man, which really irked her. However, Combusken stepped in front of her before she could get a word in, and then he approached the man.

"Mister Wattson personally asked us to keep the city under control, sir. But if you still won't help, we're happy to wait here and tell him _you're_ the reason we couldn't do our job."

Ashley and Gyarados turned to each other, the former with a shocked look on her face and the latter with a fearful expression, and then they went back to looking at Combusken.

 _So does he play dumb, or is this an aberration?_ There was a case to be made for both sides, which is just what Ashley did. _Nobody can be as stupid as he is, but this is the only time he hasn't acted like that._

"Helloooo! Anybody in theeeerrre?"

As soon as she regained her focus, Ashley was greeted to the sight of Combusken's face, which was millimeters away from making contact with hers. She must've looked like she returned to the real world, as the Fire type backed away shortly after speaking to her.

"There's a ton of stuff going on by the Game Corner, so let's check that out first!"

Combusken took off at a breakneck pace, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Ashley took a minute to process what she just saw before she shook her head, muttered under her breath, withdrew Gyarados, and chased after Combusken with an agitated look plastered on her face. Luck was on her side for a short while, as she managed to gain ground on her Pokemon and eventually match his speed, which was nowhere near as fast as when he first started running. The moment he saw her in his peripheral, Combusken turned and smiled at the young woman, whose scowl became more pronounced in response.

They didn't say a word the whole way to the Game Corner, and when they arrived Ashley was too busy gasping for air to scold Combusken for taking off on his own. It wasn't that she cared about his safety, it was for her convenience - just keeping pace with him was nearly impossible, and given how much energy he had there was no telling how far she'd have to run.

Speaking of which, Combusken made note of his and Ashley's surroundings, running around to get a better look at certain buildings. While he continued to do so, Ashley took her hands off her knees and watched the Fire type who had yet to show any signs of fatigue - he wasn't breathing heavily, nor was he sweating - until he returned to her side and flashed a toothy smile.

She raised an eyebrow, prompting him to say, "There's gotta be a ton of action going on around here! I mean, just look at how filthy it is!"

Deep inside, Ashley felt a tiny part of herself die after hearing Combusken's assumption. Even though he _was_ right, he shouldn't have said it considering the fact that there were people, who presumably lived in the area, roaming the dark streets. Every one of them turned towards her and Combusken with menacing glares, prompting the young woman to grab each of her the three Poke Balls on her belt and toss them.

Metang, Rufflet, and Gyarados materialized, though they were puzzled by the sight of people forming a circle around them. When the trio turned to Ashley, she simply pointed at Combusken and said, "Blame him for calling this place filthy." The aforementioned Fire type had the gall to smile at his teammates, all of whom glared at him as their blood boiled.

"Those're some rare Pokemon, girly."

"You don't want filth like us getting to them."

"That's right. We'll cut them to pieces if we do."

All of the people surrounding Ashley and her Pokemon drew weapons - knives, nightsticks, and bats, were the most popular - while taunting them. It was obvious that they weren't speaking hyperbolically since they continued to close in from all points of the circle.

Ashley glanced to her sides and then at the people behind her before she tapped Metang and Gyarados, grabbing their attention upon doing so. None of the armed people noticed her whisper to both Pokemon, and because of that they weren't prepared for what came next.

"Aqua Tail and Reflect!"

Gyarados swung his tail like a club as it was enveloped in water, creating powerful waves which he aimed in every direction. All of the people were swept up in the bodies of water and thrown away from Ashley and her Pokemon, granting Metang enough time to create a glass barrier that kept itself, as well as its teammates and trainer, safe from any harm.

Combusken tried to pass through Reflect but ended up slamming his face against it, and when he turned back around he took once glance at the others before he shut his mouth. Never had he seen such fury in Rufflet's, Metang's, and Gyarados' eyes, and even though Ashley had sat down and closed hers, Combusken could feel the anger emanating from her.

None of them said a word to him, though they did talk with each other about keeping an eye on how the barrier held up. Ashley, meanwhile, remained motionless and seemed to be doing some form of meditation, or for all they knew she was devising a way to get out of their current situation.

"In case anyone manages to break it, will you be able to use Reflect again?" Rufflet asked as he watched about ten people strike the barrier right by where he stood.

Metang replied with a one-word answer, saying, "Affirmative." The floating hunk of metal didn't flinch despite the crowd of armed civilians that were inches away from it.

"Worst case scenario, they break through and I blow them all away with Aqua Tail until you're able to use Reflect again." Gyarados whipped his tail around for emphasis, though he shrieked when he heard people striking the part of the barrier near him.

As the three continued to communicate, Combusken sat down without a word and closed his eyes just like Ashley, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling. Combusken felt his senses dim each time he exhaled, but he stuck to his exercise since the feeling, or lack thereof, didn't bother him. Suddenly, every thought clouding his judgement vanished and he found himself alone with his thoughts.

 _I'm the one that got them into this mess, so it's my duty to get them out of it._

The darkness he had grown accustomed to was pierced by a single ray of light that rapidly expanded and, for a second, he could've sworn he saw something with black hair dive in front of him as blood shot into the air. Then it transformed into the face of a young woman, who looked nothing like whatever was in his previous vision. She quickly smiled and then her mouth began to move, each word exploding in Combusken's ears.

"It's about time you woke up!"

Combusken shook his head and shot up, nearly head-butting the woman as he did so. He looked around for a moment until he spotted Ashley sitting on the sidewalk with a blood-soaked cloth around her arm. Aiden was next to her and replaced the bloodied cloth with a white one only for it to turn red a few seconds later, which seemed to bother the sixteen-year-old more than it did Ashley.

"There isn't a scratch on him, he's fine," Louise said to the younger trainers, both of whom nodded in response.

Upon hearing about Combusken's condition, Gengar clapped her hands together and marched towards two of her teammates - well, the only two that were out of their Poke Balls.

"We need to get a move on it before anything like that happens again. You two, wait for the cops to come. Everyone else, let's get a move on it!"

The Pokemon that had spoken to were Aegislash and Golurk, who nodded and flexed, respectively, while Gengar marched towards the Pokemon Center with the rookies and their starters in tow. Louise didn't follow the group, and instead spoke to the pair of genderless Pokemon.

"Thanks so much for helping. Head back to the Pokemon Center once the cops take care of them, okay?"

"Your wish is our command, milady."

Louise turned once they reinforced their answers in their own unique ways - Aegislash bowed and Golurk flexed - and once their trainer was gone, both Ghost type Pokemon spun around. They were impressed yet terrified by what had happened to both the street _and_ the people that attacked Ashley and her Pokemon.

Arm-figured shadows protruded from the ground and either impaled people or held them in an unbreakable grip, making it look like a scene straight out of a horror movie. No matter how many times the armed people tried to break free from the shadows they came up empty, and before long all of them gave up trying to escape.

Aegislash watched as each person went from a state of panic, which was induced by the thought of jail, to more or less being at peace with the idea. About ten minutes earlier they looked like an unstoppable force ready to crush everything in its path, then Louise and Aiden arrived with their Pokemon. It only took one of them to step in and shut down any threat of violence, and it happened in the blink of an eye.

Aegislash and Golurk both thought about that and the latter nodded its head when the former said, "Thou art terrifying, Lady Gengar."

 **000**

"Would you _stop_ trying to touch my arm?"

"Come on, Ashley! I'd let you do that if my arm had a big hole in it!"

"Why?! That would make it worse!"

"Maybe for you, but if it got bigger I could seal it with a zipper and use it like a pocket."

Ashley brought one hand to her head and took a second to process what Combusken said, though before she responded she glared at Louise since he had been laughing. The elder girl continued to laugh and she grew even louder at the thought of the failed intimidation tactic, but her volume at that moment was about to increase even more thanks to Ashley picking up the conversation with her starter.

"That is, without question, the most asinine thing I have, and will ever, hear in my life."

"A moist ass-in-eye? Your mind sure is weird, Ashley."

Combusken's face twisting in disgust, combined with Ashley's bewildered reaction, sent Louise and Aiden into hysterics. They laughed so hard their sides started aching and, because neither of the two were able to compose themselves, the pain became more intense. It was more than worth it though, and that's including all five times they thought they were on the verge of dying due to a lack of oxygen, which was reasonable considering they laughed for an hour straight.

After wiping tears from their eyes, the trainers stood upright and held their sides. Gengar shook her head and kept pace with Combusken while Ashley flew to the front of the group and Lopunny waited for Aiden and Louise, who were lagging behind.

Once they were within a few feet, Lopunny started to moonwalk so that she could see her trainer's face while asking "What was so funny?"

He waved the question off before glancing at Louise, and they nearly exploded with laughter. However, they were lucky able to compose themselves as neither could handle more pain in their sides. As soon as she realized Aiden's answer was never coming, the Normal type crossed her arms over her chest and pouted like a child only to be ignored. Both trainers strolled passed her and talked about their favorite jokes, though their conversation was suddenly derailed when a stream of electricity pierced the clouds overhead.

Everyone stared at the sky in silence as another electrical blast was fired into the air, leaving the group in stunned silence until Gengar floated over towards Louise. They locked eyes for a split second and then turned their attention back to the electricity, which had disappeared.

"You felt it too, huh?" Louise watched Gengar nod with a stern expression plastered on her face. Suddenly, the purple-haired woman took a deep breath and said, "Let's make sure they get back to the Pokemon Center and then we'll check that out."

Screams filled the air while several buildings, which looked to be about two blocks away, were engulfed in flames. Smoke rushed out from the windows of said buildings and blocked out the shining stars in the sky. Before either Gengar or Louise could say a word, they turned to see Combusken flying down the street with Ashley right on his tail, shouting for him to slow down. They, as well as Lopunny and Aiden, followed the Fire type down the street and approached the source of the chaos.

By the time everyone caught up to Combusken, half of the buildings were in shambles and the road was destroyed. Many people and Pokemon ran for in every direction - they all headed for the nearest escape route - while others were frozen in fear, and understandably so. They saw the buildings be destroyed; they saw the people inside die; they saw the rampaging creature and how powerful it was.

Due to the smoke emanating from downed buildings and raging fires, no member of the group could identify the source of all the damage. Combusken was the only one to step towards it, but he stopped before Ashley had the chance to scream at him, which concerned her.

Slowly, Combusken turned to look at his trainer, and when he did she saw the fear in his eyes. It was the first time she'd ever seen him show even an ounce of fear, which literally left her quaking in her boots.

One of the fleeing people stopped for a brief moment to stare at the group of six and asked, "What are you doing?! If you don't run, that thing will kill you!"

Before any of them could respond, the person took off in the direction of everyone else, leaving the group in stunned silence. If what they heard was true, then there was no question the right choice would be to run for their lives. In spite of the information, Louise and Gengar rushed towards the action, and they were soon followed by Aiden and Lopunny. Both of their faces conveyed the same sense of terror, leaving Ashley and Combusken behind without a second thought as they disappeared inside the wall of smoke surrounding the middle of the street.

Even though the black-haired girl and her Pokemon wanted to help their fellow crimefighters, they just couldn't get their legs to move no matter how hard they tried. As Ashley examined the condition of the nearby buildings, Combusken turned to watch citizens run for their lives while screaming at the top of their lungs.

Somehow, he didn't hear a sound amidst the panic and chaos, nor did Ashley. To anyone else that wasn't them, it was obvious from the way they blankly looked around, completely unfazed by their surroundings, that neither she nor Combusken were mentally in the moment.

While he watched his trainer continued to eye the buildings, Combusken eyed the wound on her arm much more closely than he previously had. Blood seeped through the cotton-white bandage, which provided Combusken the opportunity to see the shape of the wound. It looked like Ashley was stabbed, but if that happened he surely would've remembered it.

And that's when it hit him. The scene he caught a glimpse of wasn't a hallucination, the thing with black hair was Ashley. _She_ was stabbed while protecting him from one of the armed thugs, a situation that could've been avoided had he kept his mouth shut.

Combusken looked away, he couldn't bare seeing Ashley's bloodied arm yet the image of it was burned into his mind. Every time he blinked it flashed in the darkness for a split second, it was bordering onto torture. The image of the jagged hole in Ashley's arm was going to stick with him until the day he died, it seemed, yet for some reason, deep in his gut, Combusken felt it was a good thing.

His foolishness was what caused her to be hurt, it put not only his life in danger, but those of Ashley and his teammates as well. His brain wouldn't stop operating at top speed, as it churned out one thought after another until they were fired out so rapidly Combusken felt his ears begin to ring in pain. One thought stood out amongst the others, and like the image of Ashley's wound, it'd stick with him for his whole life.

 _We're lucky all of us made it out alive. If that happened nine more times, at least one of us wouldn't be breathing anymore... all because of me._ He lifted his hands up slightly so that they were in front of his chest. _I've acted like an idiot the whole time I've known Ashley, and it's finally bit me in the ass._

Combusken clenched his fists, a raging fire fueled by anger burned deep within his soul. _It's time for a new, more serious me. Starting now, no more fucking around! I won't let anything happen to Ashley ever again!_

Unbeknownst to Combusken, Ashley's eyes were glued to him. Whatever she was thinking about while checking out the buildings didn't interest her anymore, unlike the sudden change in her Pokemon's demeanor. The laid back, goofy nature she knew was replaced with a stern, ruthless one, and all it took was a quick glance at how he carried himself.

Everything about the way he stood seemed stiff, yet natural at the same time - suffice it to say, nothing would get in his way or take him by surprise. The cold and primal look in his eyes further supported the aforementioned notion, and he stood up straight instead of hunching over or leaning back. Unlike before, he exuded confidence, and nothing would break him.

Suddenly, Combusken lifted his gaze from his clenched hands to Ashley, and in that very moment they were freed from their fears. Neither said a word, yet they knew exactly what the other was thinking as they marched into the smoke.

 **000**

With Myles latched onto his back, Gallade hopped from rooftop to rooftop with ease and at the speed of light. Not a sound was made by him, even after landing, meaning he did nothing to draw attention from anyone roaming the streets below. Gallade yawned as he watched the police run around and fly down streets in their cars, hitting top speed while pursuing criminals. He smiled the second someone noticed him fly from one sidewalk to the other just like Myles, though unlike the elderly man, Gallade kept his mouth closed in the silence of the night.

"Man, you've _really_ lost a step in the last year. You know what? It's more like three," Myles said with a slick grin, generating an aggravated growl from the speedy Pokemon.

"That's because you've put on a few too many pounds," Gallade retorted, flashing the same exact grin as his friend.

They both laughed quietly, only stopping when Gallade leaped across the road once again. Their laughter resumed as soon as they landed, and the blade-wielding Pokemon waited to sit down until Myles got off his back and took a seat as well. The team of two kept quiet to take in the sounds of Mauville City which featured blaring police sirens, people screaming at each other from inside their residencies that were devoid of energy, and the most prominent of them all was the synchronized wailing of infants.

"I can't say it enough, but boy am I happy I never settled down," Myles said aloud, prompting Gallade to roll his eyes. "Babies shit themselves constantly, little kids have temper tantrums, teens argue about everything, and after the worst eighteen years of your life they leave without paying you back."

The old man shook his head and laughed to himself at the thought of his family growing up. He took a deep breath and looked up at the moon before he and Gallade said, "That's the worst investment anyone could make."

Upon hearing Gallade's robotic voice, caused by the translator clipped around his neck, Myles eyed his lifelong friend and chuckled.

"You should think of some new sayings," Gallade said without meeting his friend's gaze. "It gets old hearing the same few for over fifty years, don't you think?"

Myles chuckled again and went back to staring at the moon, but not before he replied, "And like I've been saying for over fifty years: tell me a good one and I'll use it, or else I'm sticking to my guns."

Gallade shook his head, though his smile faded as soon as Myles started to cough. For as hard as he tried, the trainer wasn't able to quiet his cough with his elbow, and when the violent act came to an end he spotted blood on his clothes. Like Gallade did moments earlier, Myles stopped smiling and instead scowled at the red blotches that stained the right sleeve of his black trench coat.

He let out an audible sigh and hung his head before another coughing attack followed. More blood came up than the previous time, and unlike then he grew pale and his eyes began to droop slightly. Gallade didn't dare look at the sickly man, going so far as to turn his back to him. However, the sound of Myles' laughter filled the air and caused Gallade to face his friend, who shook his head for about a minute and they locked eyes.

"Wow. This thing's kicking my ass."

"You always say that, and every time you do you're better in a second."

"Hehehe, is that true? Shit."

Myles brought his hand to his chest and his head flew forward, yet he managed to stifle the incoming coughing fit. Still, it took him awhile to sit upright and regain his breath, leading him to shake his head.

"This time's different, Gallade."

The aforementioned Pokemon recoiled.

"We need to find that girl from the Pokemon Center - the one with the Ghost types - as soon as possible. It's our duty to kindle a new flame before ours is snuffed out."

 _It hurts just watching him try to stand,_ Gallade thought as he watched the elderly man struggle to his feet, ignoring Myles' four minute speech about lighting stuff on fire. _He's_ _exaggerating, just like he always does_ _. I can't wait to call him out on this._

The blade-wielding Pokemon assumed a meditating stance, and he was shrouded in a coat of white aura. Suddenly, Gallade felt such sharp pain in his chest he could've sworn he was being stabbed by a thousand knives. The Pokemon placed his hand over the area, unaware of the fact that he wasn't able to withstand so much as a second of the pain Myles felt.

 _I'll never doubt him again. Now to remember what he was talking about._

Gallade pressed his palms together and immediately entered a deep, meditative state. Everything Myles talked about followed shortly thereafter, ending just as quickly as it started, prompting Gallade to open his eyes and return to the physical world.

 _"It's our duty to kindle a new flame before ours is snuffed out."_

Nothing other than those words dared to enter Gallade's mind as he approached Myles. Once the sickly man latched on his back Gallade he took off at full speed in silence. Unlike earlier, he scanned every street between jumps in hopes of finding that girl from the Pokemon Center. It had been years, maybe even decades, since someone sensed their presence, and the girl - Louise - also came closer to spotting them than anyone ever had.

 _She must be the one. There's never been a better candida-_

Gallade's thought was interrupted when everything to his right - buildings, cars, the sky - was illuminated by the brightest burst of yellow light he'd ever seen, but that didn't mean he knew what caused it. Luckily Myles happened to be looking in the direction and saw exactly where the extraordinarily powerful attack came from, however, they remained as still as statues upon sensing an increase in the pressure radiating from whatever discharged.

Turning his neck an inch at a time, Gallade eventually saw Myles out of the corner of his eye and noticed that he, too, stared with his eyes opened wider than usual. That all but confirmed Gallade's suspicions, so he decided to set up camp right where they were.

"Go towards it."

Gallade froze, so Myles spoke again.

"Relax. I want to see what it was and then we can go."

The Pokemon obeyed without a word, sprinting across the rooftop and leaping towards the site of the intense energy. Gallade landed on a smaller building across the street and effortlessly ran up the side of a much taller one, and once he had stable footing, he crouched, easing Myles to the ground shortly thereafter. The elderly man felt his spine press against a two bars that stood upright, and he shook his head when he saw the glass drilled securely into the top of the railing.

"Oh shut up. Not being able to lean over the rail's better than splattering on the ground," Gallade said, his voice cracking like a whip.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Myles waved nonchalantly in response and then gave the creature down below his undivided attention. He managed to make out the shape of its body almost immediately after realizing its body wad made entirely out of wires, save for its plug-tipped tail.

"So the Ultra Beasts are back, eh?"

"It'd seem so."

"They should count their lucky stars we weren't around the first time. How many years ago did they attack Alola?"

"A little less than ten. We were in Orre at the time."

"Which is why we didn't hear about it until after the fact."

Myles scowled at what he said and squeezed his hands on the railing. Even in his emaciated state, there was no questioning the old man's physical prowess - though whatever strength he had left disappeared during his cough attacks.

His eyes shot wide open, prompting Gallade to look back at the street that was probably forty feet below. Three trainers were battling Xurkitree, and after glancing at two of them, Gallade mirrored his friend's reaction. They'd found Louise through sheer luck, plus they were getting to see what she was capable of in a battle.

Down below, none of Louise, Aiden, or Ashley noticed the spectators on the roof. Xurkitree would only need a fraction of a second to capitalize on a lapse in focus, which was almost guaranteed to result in a fatal blow. They saw it happen to a few people trying to escape moments before the battle could begin, and not one of them planned on dying tonight.

So far, they were holding their own and had Xurkitree trapped within their triangle formation. No matter who the Ultra Beast decided to attack, it was hit hard by the two that weren't targeted. What made the situation even worse for Xurkitree was that both times it discharged, Lopunny, Combusken, and Gengar didn't take any damage. It didn't know that Gengar dragged herself and the other two underground with the help of shadow manipulation, which seemed bound to determine the outcome - if Xurkitree would win if it found out, but it'd lose if it didn't.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Ice Beam!"

"Double Team!"

Both Gengar and Lopunny repeatedly fired their attacks and stayed out of Xurkitree's range while Combusken created a dozen clones of himself, evenly distributing them so that he and his allies were each accompanied by four of them.

Although Lopunny's Ice Beam missed its mark due to the Ultra Beast jumping out of the way, Gengar's Shadow Ball flurry clobbered it. Every one of the powerful attacks exploded on contact, hurling Xurkitree into the exterior of a massive building and out of the triangle it was trapped in. None of the trainers or their Pokemon noticed their formation had been broken, so they acted as if it was still intact.

"Flame Charge!"

The dozen Combusken clones already received an increase in speed thanks to the Speed Boost ability, and the chance to jack it up higher _and_ deal damage would be yet another massive step towards slaying Xurkitree.

Suddenly, every clone was enveloped in fire and charged towards the downed Ultra Beast, who hadn't moved a muscle since slamming into the building. Much to the trainers' collective horror, Xurkitree got up and sliced its arms through all twelve clones before any of them could blink. Even the crowds gather at both ends of the street were muted by the ridiculous reaction-time, none of them managing to see what happened.

Maintaining its undetectable speed, Xurkitree jumped forward to close the distance between itself and the duo of Aiden and Lopunny while wrapping both of its arm around them. An overwhelming amount of electricity shot out of the Ultra Beast's limbs and zapped Lopunny and Aiden into unconsciousness, and then some, though the assault ended prematurely thanks to Louise and Gengar.

"Quick! Use Sludge Wave!" the purple-haired woman screamed.

Gengar zipped towards Xurkitree while both of her arms began to glow a dark shade of purple, and she threw them forward the instant she was within a foot of her opponent. Two high-pressured blasts of purple sludge erupted from the Ghost type's palms and hit Xurkitree at pointblank range, dramatically amplifying the attack's power. It also caused Xurkitree to roll all the way to the end of the block, drawing both gasps and cheers from the pair of ever-growing crowds.

Knowing she didn't have any time to waste, Gengar immediately changed direction, grabbed Lopunny and Aiden, and returned to Louise's side. She proceeded to place them behind her trainer and then returned to her post about a dozen or so yards away, exchanging nods with Combusken while both of the remaining trainers were forced to improvise a new plan.

"Keep using Double Team and wait for Speed Boost to build up! We won't have a problem holding that thing off!" the elder girl ordered before turning away, which caused her to not see Ashley shake her head.

"Louise, this thing is too strong to deal with normally. It's time."

Gengar refused to take her eyes off of Xurkitree, who had yet to move since being hit by Sludge Wave, so when her trainer responded affirmatively, she gave a thumbs up.

During that exchange, Ashley decided to take matters into her own hands after failing to get Louise's attention.

"I don't care if she gets pissed or not, _I'll_ be the one to put that thing fifteen feet under."

She spat each word venomously while Combusken nodded to let her know he was listening, and once Ashley finally reigned in her rage she relayed her plan to the Fire type.

"Since it's already faked dead once, I guarantee it's almost down for the count. Run straight at it, jump as high as you can when you're only a few feet away, and use Double Kick!"

Right when Ashley's voice disappeared, Combusken took a runner's stance and, with the bonus of Speed Boost, he reached Xurkitree in no time. Then, doing just as he was told, he mustered up every bit of strength he could into his legs and shot upwards while both of his feet surged with light-blue energy.

By the time Louise responded to Gengar and shifted her focus back to Ashley, Combusken prepared to land the most destructive pair of kicks anybody would've ever seen. He soon learned luck wasn't on his side at that moment, as Xurkitree popped up from the ground and grabbed him by the legs. The Ultra Beast immediately discharged an unfathomable amount of electricity through Combusken's whole body, though when it saw he was knocked out cold, the attack ceased. Xurkitree let go of Combusken's legs and turned its attention to Louise and Gengar, but it ultimately decided to approach Ashley.

Despite having three conscious Pokemon at her disposal, Ashley kept completely still and stared at the Ultra Beast strolling towards her. Static danced around its body while the top of its head changed from white to yellow, not even bothering to try and hide its intentions. And that was exactly why Ashley couldn't make herself run away. Louise, like Ashley, wasn't able to move even the slightest muscle, and on top of that she couldn't think. Only one thing remained in her mind, and that was her instincts screaming for her to flee.

Even the two crowds at either end of the street were paralyzed by either fear or hopelessness - some were experiencing a combination of those feelings, which was unlike anything any of them had ever experienced.

"Get away from her!"

Louise recoiled, which caused her to fall on her back while Gengar took off towards Xurkitree like a bat out of hell. The moment she lifted her head, Louise saw Xurkitree attempt to grab Ashley until Gengar came within a foot of them. A nanosecond later, the purple-haired girl felt her eyes shoot open and found it difficult to breathe, both conditions coming as a result of what she had just witnessed.

Everyone who decided to watch the battle instead of flee found themselves in the same state of absolute horror as Louise, and many others started experiencing the same feelings of shortness of breath. What shook her, and the onlookers, to the core was seeing Xurkitree punch Gengar in the face while it unleashed a beam of electricity from its fist. The force of the punch, combined with the electrical blast, sent Gengar flying through the crowd to Louise's back, knocking people over like they were bowling pins. Finally, when Gengar's motionless body crashed into a building and hit the ground, everyone was greeted to the deafening sound of silence.

Myles and Gallade watched the whole thing unfold but unlike everyone down below, neither one of them felt even an iota of fear. In fact, they were completely unfazed by Xurkitree's effortless victory.

"If that girl and her Gengar were on their own I'm sure they would've won," Gallade said to no one in particular. "And since we reached our limit there's nothing we can do to help, so let's go."

Gallade walked towards the edge of the rooftop without noticing Myles hadn't joined him, and when he turned around he saw the sickly man tighten his grip on the rail.

"You know as well as I do that it's impossible to save everyone, and anybody who thinks otherwise either hasn't rushed into danger, or if they have they're dead."

Myles tried to ignore what was being said by Gallade's translator, but his effort proved futile. Like everyone else watching, Myles couldn't do a thing to keep Xurkitree from wrapping one of its arms around Ashley's neck while electrocuting her with the other.

 _I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do._

 **000**

"Yo Dollface, what's wrong wit da Boss?" Fletchling pointed at Thomas, who was hanging his head, and then turned to Grovyle.

A sheepish smile spread across the gecko's face when Fletchling and Slowpoke stared at her and waited for an answer. Grovyle tried avoiding eye-contact with them, but every time she looked away the robin would fly into her field of vision and repeat the question. Slowpoke started to chant the question along with Fletchling, and she also poked Grovyle with her tail while doing so.

Mimikyu did his best to ignore his teammates' voices, but after hearing them ask the same question so many times, he snapped. Two arm-shaped shadows emerged from underneath his cloth and punched Slowpoke and Fletchling so hard both of them were sent flying passed Thomas, though the young man didn't seem to notice. Grovyle watched her teammates bounce about a hundred feet down the road before they finally came to a stop, and only then did she eye Mimikyu.

Although the gecko was glaring at him, Mimikyu passed her with a smile.

"You're welcome," he said flatly.

The unfamiliar sound of his voice made Grovyle flinch, yet that didn't stop her from glaring at him once again. Mimikyu waved with the help of his arm-shaped shadows, fully aware of Grovyle's glare despite never seeing it, and left the Grass type fuming in silence.

 _She was mad at me even though I helped her, and she grew angrier when I didn't apologize. What a stupid creature, she is,_ Mimikyu thought, his smile disappearing in an instant.

When he caught up to Thomas, Mimikyu went back to being his usual, mute self, and tried to keep his eyes on the road. His effort proved futile, as he couldn't help but glance at the Alolan every few seconds and smile wickedly. The mere sight of Thomas made Mimikyu's heart race, and the look on his face was one of pure ecstasy. A familiar thought came to his mind, making him tremble with excitement.

 _Ohhh how I want to end you._ Mimikyu closed his eyes and imagined separating Thomas' head from his body, moaning as he did so. _Show me more, human. Make your death mean something._

"Uhmmm, Mimikyu? You okay?"

The aforementioned Pokemon's eyes shot open and moved every which way, taking in his surroundings. It was then that Mimikyu realized he hadn't been moaning in thought, and from the looks on the others' faces he could tell it had to have been loud.

"Don't ask dat freaky puppet if he's feelin' fine! We's was just attacked by em!"

"I can ask him _whatever_ the hell I want, _whenever_ the hell I want!"

Mimikyu stared at Fletchling and Slowpoke as they butted heads and growled simultaneously. They started bickering almost immediately afterwards, leaving their teammate speechless.

 _They get angry at each other every time their ideals clash, yet they never do so with the human who despises conversing with them._

Mimikyu turned to watch Thomas pass him and the others by with Grovyle at his side. The cloth-wearing Pokemon rolled his eyes at the sight and went back to watching Slowpoke and Fletchling attack each other like starving animals would over food.

 _Such imbeciles. Those like you should be purged._

On that note Mimikyu followed his trainer, ignoring the robin and quadruped as he was too busy studying Thomas. Once he caught up and saw Grovyle's rage-fueled scowl, he used one of his shadows to poke the Alolan's shoulder, thus drawing his attention.

"Apologies, but judging from your body language you appear to be quite disconsolate." Neither Thomas nor Mimikyu said a word, the former being too upset to and the latter waiting for a response. Eventually Thomas nodded, so Mimikyu continued in earnest. "Although it may be difficult, share what has caused you to feel such a way."

While Mimikyu's tone made it sound as if he was asking Thomas to open up, the way he spoke said otherwise. He knew that, and it was done intentionally, not that anyone could tell - at least he assumed that was the case, given Grovyle was too angry to realize while Fletchling and Slowpoke were too dumb and busy fighting.

The look in Thomas' eyes hardened as he locked Mimikyu in his sights, generating a wicked smirk from the Pokemon.

 _He actually did notice I was ordering him to speak. Impressive._

The thought didn't leave Mimikyu's mind even when Thomas turned away and, for whatever reason, decided to speak.

"He..."

Thomas couldn't even utter another word before he hung his head, drawing a concerned reaction from Grovyle. She quickly shot Mimikyu the same exact hardened look Thomas did, though because it was ignored, she shifted her attention back to her trainer.

"He called me... _Terrance_."

Grovyle and Mimikyu reacted with deadpan expressions and stopped walking, both floored by the response. Thomas took a few more steps before realizing both of his Pokemon were completely frozen, neither moving a muscle as their replayed his response over and over again. Even though he seemed puzzled by their sudden paralysis, Thomas shrugged it off and decided to sit on the sidewalk until they started moving again, the depressed look on his face returning within seconds.

"It's _Thomas_ , not _Terrance_... but if I change my name then that means he never got it wrong!" His eyes lit up, but only for a brief moment as reality soon set in. "But he also said my name had a nice ring to it - or maybe he thought I said Terrance from the start! Shit, this is a no-win situation," he mused.

Although he was unaware, Thomas only made his Pokemon stay still even longer.

 _Is he really upset about THAT?!_

 _Who are these 'Thomas' and 'Terrance' the human is speaking of?_

However, when Fletchling and Slowpoke arrived covered in bruises from head to toe, they put an end to Thomas' ridiculous conversation by asking about what he was doing and why their teammates were frozen. Neither question received an answer, as the Alolan seemed to forget what he was talking about, at least initially. He went on to explain the situation, still sitting on the sidewalk without a care in the world - other than the Terrance-conundrum, of course - while Grovyle and Mimikyu composed themselves and eventually shook their heads with a smile and a scowl, respectively.

"Hold ya hoyses, fuh just a second. You's sayin' dat ya name _ain't_ Boss?"

"Out of everything that's happened since we've met, _this_ is what gets you upset?"

Both questions made Grovyle laugh uncontrollably, and when she thought about it Slowpoke actually was right, making it even funnier. Soon enough, Fletchling and the quadruped laughed along with Grovyle, the sounds of which snapped Thomas out of his sorrow. Then, for the first time since he moved to Hoenn, he laughed.

Mimikyu was the only one not to, as he was busy analyzing the trio of idiots and his trainer to even think about such a thing. However, the moment he laid eyes on Thomas and Grovyle, who mirrored each other's laughter and movements without even looking, Mimikyu snickered to himself.

Suddenly, a stream of electricity caught everyone's attention and they watched it pierce the clouds. Whatever caused that to happen was nowhere near them, according to Fletchling, but when he descended and could no longer see over the buildings another electrical blast was discharged.

Slowpoke let out a sigh of relief and drew the attention of her teammates before saying, "Good thing you don't want to deal with any crime, Thomas." The lack of a response prompted her to reiterate the question, only this time Thomas stood up and started jogging towards the electricity.

"Wait! Where are you going?!"

"It don't mattuh. We's just gotta follow him," Fletchling said before he, Grovyle, and Mimikyu took off after their trainer. Slowpoke cussed under her breath but ultimately followed suit.

The quintet hared down various streets, closing in on the site of the electrical blast in record time. After turning the corner, the trainer and Pokemon spotted a series of lightning bolts ascend above the skyline, fizzling out in an instant.

Thomas slowed down before coming to a stop, never taking his eyes away from where the lightning bolts once were. Grovyle caught up to, and stared at, him along with the others for awhile before Fletchling couldn't bare the silence any longer.

He flapped his wings and then landed on Thomas' shoulder, asking, "Ay, whatcha lookin' at up deh?" Fletchling pointed at the sky for emphasis while waiting for a response.

The Alolan took his time getting to Fletchling's question which he could tell irritated the robin, yet he still didn't feel inclined to speak. That changed when Fletchling hopped off his shoulder, which left the aforementioned Pokemon steaming.

"Those weren't yellow, and instead of a steady stream they were fired off like bullets."

"So what? You wanted to go, so let's go!" Slowpoke barked.

Thomas shook his head in response and continued to stare at the same spot in the sky, prompting Grovyle and Mimikyu to do so as well. Mimikyu understood what Thomas was getting at based on what he said, though, the same couldn't be said for any of the three other Pokemon, all of whom had the dumbest expressions plastered on their faces.

"It's likely the source of the electricity is currently engaged in combat, and I'd wager it's dealing with more than one opponent-"

"Based on the rapid bursts of lightning." Thomas beat Mimikyu to the punch and patted the Ghost type's head briefly. "Let's go."

On that note, the trainer and his Pokemon set their sights on the location and hightailed it there. Before any of them knew it they had arrived - or, at least they could see hundreds of people gathering around the end of a street just two blocks away.

Everyone was so quiet, Thomas swore he could've heard a pin drop. With each step he took towards the crow, the Alolan grew more and more uneasy, quickly looking over everyone in his field of vision.

"Oh, this might be a flash mob!" Grovyle exclaimed as her sudden excitement eased the tension each of her teammates felt, but it didn't affect Thomas, who kept his guard up while pushing and weaving his way through the crowd.

When he finally emerged from the cluster of bodies, he was greeted by an ungodly pressure emanating from a figure standing a hundred feet away in the middle of the road along with two motionless bodies.

Grovyle, Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu reached Thomas' side at the same time, flinching once they could feel the same pressure Thomas was. Grovyle was the only one other than Thomas to look towards Xurkitree whose mere presence alone was enough to paralyze hundreds, if not thousands, of people. She and her trainer quickly examined their surroundings and she nearly fainted after noticing just how far away the human-like bundle of cords was. Thomas, on the other hand, tried to walk towards the foreign creature but as soon as he moved his leg forward he was almost knocked down by an even greater wave of pressure.

He suddenly took a step back and began breathing in and out, but everybody was too focused staring at the creature to pay him any attention. About ten seconds passed before Thomas returned to where he had been standing and tried to breathe the exact same way, only this time he was struggling for air after inhaling twice.

 _The closer I get, the harder it'll be for me to breathe._

Thomas scratched his head at the thought as he stepped back to regain his breath, which is when he suddenly remembered experiencing a similar situation.

 _This is exactly like that time at the Pokemon Center when Louise said she'd battle Ashley, and I had a hard time breathing when she was a few feet away._ He paused for a moment to examine the foreign creature, but it was too far away. _T_ _hat was a lot weaker than this, and I must've been ninety feet closer to Louise._

Thomas put the thought on hold to take a deep breath, unaware of Xurkitree sauntering towards a defenseless person who stood a few yards away. Out of everyone watching, only Mimikyu and Grovyle saw the person, but neither spoke up - the former wanted blood to be shed while the latter was rattled.

 _That thing may be strong enough to kill everyone here, but it has to have a weakness._

Thomas started grinding his teeth after he realized the conclusion wasn't even remotely helpful. On top of that, he didn't recognize the creature and missed seeing it in battle, so coming up with a strategy based on its tendencies was impossible. The Alolan's frustration subsided when he felt someone tap his arm, and he turned to see Grovyle panicking as she pointed at the creature.

Thomas looked at Xurkitree, whose arm was wrapped around a person's neck, and froze while his heart started to beat out of his chest. He tried calling out for help at least a dozen times, which all played out the exact same way - he'd build up some air and feel the words rest in his throat - before he gave up. It was at that moment Thomas realized his heart rate had skyrocketed, and when he tried remedying it by breathing slowly, a gruesome image popped into his head.

A hulking mosquito surrounded by fire clamped one hand around a woman's neck and punched a hole through her chest with the other.

"Someone has to help that girl, or else she'll die!"

After snapping out of his trance, the Alolan recoiled when he saw Xurkitree electrocute the girl it was holding, eliciting a bloodcurdling scream.

"Are you kidding? That's suicide!"

And just like that, any lingering thoughts about saving the girl were squashed like a bug, silencing the crowd in an instant. Everyone turned away from Xurkitree except for Thomas and Grovyle, both of whom were unable to take their eyes off of the girl.

 _Why won't anyone do something?_ they thought, sweat dripping down each of their faces. _If she dies, it's our fault_ _!_

("You say run" begins to play)

Thomas and Grovyle took a closer look at girl's face while she fought off Xurkitree's attempts at strangling her. Even though they were a hundred feet away, they could see the fear in her eyes and feel Xurkitree's bloodlust, both of which sent chills through their bodies.

Xurkitree then loaded its free arm back, causing Grovyle to gasp while Thomas' eyes shot wide open. For the briefest of moments he saw Xurkitree and the girl transform into the mosquito and woman, respectively.

And then it happened.

Thomas sprinted down the street and towards Xurkitree with Grovyle right by his side. Almost everyone in the crowd gasped while others screamed for them to stop, but it didn't matter. Nothing was going through their heads.

Fletchling and Slowpoke snapped out of their mute states to see Thomas and Grovyle fly down the road.

"Da hell's dey doin'?!"

"Stop! Are you crazy?!"

They continued towards Xurkitree, bounding passed the fires and debris. Once they were within a dozen feet of the Ultra Beast, Thomas picked up a rock and hurled it while Grovyle used Bullet Seed. When Xurkitree was hit by both the rock and flurry of solar bullets, it loosened its grip on the girl's neck and turned to face its new challengers.

Without any warning, it threw one of its arms towards Thomas but he dove out of the way. Grovyle countered with Quick Attack and slammed into Xurkitree's chest head-first, causing it to release the girl. However, it responded by electrocuting Grovyle, grabbing ahold of the girl's throat a second time, and then charging an exorbitant amount of electricity while staring at the downed gecko.

"Grovyle!" Fletchling and Slowpoke screamed at the top of their lungs as Xurkitree took aim.

All of a sudden, Thomas jumped on the Ultra Beast's back and wrapped his arms around its neck as tightly as he could. The sentient bundle of wires tried prying Thomas loose with the arm it had aimed at Grovyle, but when he locked his legs around its waist, there wasn't a chance of that happening.

Myles and Gallade stared with their jaws agape, neither able to process what was going on.

 _Why'd I have to reach my limit today? He's going to get himself killed!_

Using every ounce of strength he could, Thomas began to strangle Xurkitree, causing the aforementioned creature to stumble around and do everything it could to shake him. Just as Thomas noticed the grip on the girl's neck had loosened, he felt a rush of electricity run through his body and he instantly let go of Xurkitree, falling on the ground limply.

Xurkitree turned around to face Thomas and attempted to stab him with its tail, but Grovyle got to him first and ran away. At the same time, another Grovyle delivered two vicious kicks to the back of Xurkitree's head, and three of her clones pelted it with Bullet Seed.

The overwhelming assault caused Xurkitree to drop the girl and focus entirely on Grovyle's clones, all of whom kept their distance and continued to fire away with Bullet Seed attacks. That allowed Grovyle to retrieve the girl, but she froze when she saw it was Ashley.

"All right! Look at them go!"

"Get that thing, you two!"

"Yeah! Don't show it any mercy!"

The crowd's cheers couldn't have come at a worse time as Xurkitree discharged hundreds, if not thousands, of watts in every direction which destroyed the clones in the blink of an eye. Grovyle was zapped as soon as she grabbed Ashley, and when she hit the ground, her body refused to move.

While Xurkitree slowly turned to face its prey, Myles and Gallade continued to watch in silence. The former grabbed onto a rail and squeezed as tight as he could, which Gallade noticed right away. For every second that passed, Xurkitree closed the gap between itself and Thomas, Ashley, and Grovyle, causing Myles to clench his hands so tight they began to tremble.

"Gallade, we have to help them."

"What about the time lim-"

"To hell with that! I won't let those kids die on our watch!"

The sickly man held his fist out for Gallade who begrudgingly followed suit. As soon as their knuckles made contact they were enveloped in jet-white aura.

Thomas looked up and saw the Ultra Beast approaching, its appearance switching between a bundle of cords and a mosquito with each step. After taking its last step, the creature was a muscular mosquito that slowly reared its arm back. It then hurled its fist at his face, so he closed his eyes in response. Milliseconds before he fully closed them, Thomas saw a familiar figure appear from thin air and kick the Ultra Beast in the side of the head so hard it flew _through_ one of the buildings.

The crowds at both ends of the street went silent and stared, as did Fletchling and Slowpoke. Mimikyu, meanwhile, blinked once and thought, _What a coincidence,_ as he rolled his eyes.

"It can't be. Is it really him?"

"It is! It's Gallade Guy!"

Suddenly, everyone erupted with cheers and applauded, but Thomas and Grovyle paid them no attention. Instead, their focus was solely on the Gallade Guy.

"That took a lotta guts standin' up to this guy, but that doesn't mean you should go chargin' into danger."

Thomas and Grovyle beamed at the praise.

"That's my job."

Gallade Guy glanced over his shoulder and winked at the two before he saw Xurkitree spring out of the building. The Ultra Beast tried to stab him with its fingers, but it didn't stand a chance against the vigilante. With lightning-quick reflexes, Gallade Guy caught Xurkitree by the wrist and, once his other fist was shrouded in purple aura, countered with a deadly uppercut.

A powerful gust of wind followed the punch while Xurkitree flew hundreds of feet in the air, eliciting rabid screams of support from both crowds on either end of the street that grew even louder after watching Xurkitree's crash landing.

"Gall-ade Guy! Gall-ade Guy! Gall-ade Guy!" Everyone chanted the vigilante's name, prompting him to punch his fist in the air.

Upon reaching Thomas and Grovyle, Slowpoke screamed at both of them for acting so recklessly, which was in stark contrast to the crowd's celebration of Xurkitree's defeat.

"Did you two have a death wish? I swear you almost gave me a heart attack! How does that make you feel? Actually, I don't want to hear it!"

"Wouldja cut dem some slack? Da freaky bunch o' wyahs tried clippin' dat broad," Fletchling interjected, pointing his wing at Ashley. "Woulda happened too, if dey didn't do nothin'."

Gallade Guy chuckled at Slowpoke's mother-like scolding, but he was suddenly overcome by a coughing fit. Vanishing before he could draw any attention, Gallade Guy suddenly appeared on a nearby rooftop and was swallowed in white aura.

Once it faded Myles dropped to his knees and coughed violently, while Gallade grimaced and put his hand over his chest. After coughing for what felt like an eternity - in reality it was only ten minutes - Myles crawled towards the railing and laughed weakly once he and Gallade locked eyes.

"Well? Was it worth saving them?" the Pokemon asked despite already knowing the answer.

Myles coughed one last time, soaking the sleeve of his coat, and peeked down at the street with a toothy smile, saying, "Absolutely."

Gallade couldn't help but laugh and shake his head at his friend, both turning to look down at the road. It didn't take them long to spot Thomas and Grovyle, who were talking to Louise and Aiden, and their smiles grew wider with each passing second.

"Thomas Brooks."

Gallade turned to Myles and gave him a puzzled look.

"His name. It has a nice ring to it." Myles stood up, prompting his friend to do the same. "Today, he taught me what it means to be a hero."

"Wait, does that mean-"

"Yeah." Myles reached into both of his coat pockets and pulled out a pair of clear, transparent crystals. "He's the one."

* * *

 **So that just happened. I had hoped to post last week, but ya know, it was no bueno. To** **recap... Ashley, Aiden, and Louise tried to stop Xurkitree from going on a murderous rampage, but they failed. Then Xurkitree attempted to kill Ashley, but Thomas (fueled by a flashback) and Grovyle rushed in to save her. That drove Myles and Gallade to transform into Gallade Guy and battle Xurkitree, who they defeated in two attacks. Afterwards, Myles decided that Thomas, not Louise, was "the one."  
** **Next chapter will focus on Ashley in the aftermath of Xurkitree's rampage, and Will is finally returning.  
** **Till then, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge**_ ** _!"_**

 ** _Mauville City is in ruins after Xurkitree's attack, and so is Ashley. For some reason she leaves her team at the Pokemon Center and disappears, so Combusken goes around asking for help. He eventually runs into Will and Pyro, and they work together to find Ashley! What's going on with her, and why is Will helping Combusken?_**

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 26: The Gift  
Chapter 27: Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!  
Chapter 28: Mono type Mission**


	25. Flames of Fury: Will and Pyro Emerge!

**How's it going, folks? Last chapter featured Combusken ditching his goofy attitude for good after getting Ashley stabbed, then Louise, Aiden, and Ashley tried stopping Xurkitree's rampage only to get curb stomped, and Thomas and Grovyle sprung into action as Ashley was about to die at Xurkitree's hand. That inspired Myles and Gallade to exceed the time limit of their transformation, allowing them to defeat Xurkitree in two attacks - but they were severely injured by transforming. Finally, Myles deemed Thomas to be "the one" he was searching for.** **This chapter will focus on the aftermath of the attack and its effect on Ashley.  
Now let's get going!**

 **BouncingFish:** _That first line had me worried, lol. I'm happy to hear you liked the attention they received_ _and how Combusken's really starting to take after Ashley. Serious-Combusken has a huge impact on several characters in the upcoming arc both on, and off, the battlefield (calling him a monster's an understatement), though I'd argue Myles' declining health will play an even greater role. As for his hunch, even if it's correct, there's a chance Tom won't want to be "the one," which could lead Myles to choose someone else. Haha, thanks. My intention was to make Tom and Grovyle's battle come off as fast-paced as a way to capture their lack of thinking, which made it fun to write - that and the complete 180 in Tom's actions. Both Ashley's and Tom's backstories will be revealed (kind of) in this chapter and 28, respectively. Thanks for the review!_

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Great to hear! Combusken is set to undergo a huge transformation because (as you said) he got Ashley hurt, so his days of being a goofball are limited. It's funny you mentioned the All Might comparison, since I took quite a few of his characteristics and gave them to Myles, though you'll see they're also very different. Also, that's a fantastic way to describe his and Gallade's power (which you'll learn more about really soon), and I love the idea of him having a battle with Thomas! Details about the Ultra Beast attack in Alola will be revealed in each of the next three chapters so that should be fun, though I'd be careful what you wish for when it comes to Mimikyu - he's absolutely going to fight Grovyle in the future. With that being said, I have a funny mini-series planned for him (similar to the Mega Battles in U:ANG) which will highlight the positives of his insanity... if that's even possible xD Thanks for the review!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _No apology needed, my guy. Combusken's and Fletchling's combined doofy-ness was enjoyable to write about, but the former is in for a radical change in personality so that's the end of that. The Gallade Guy transformation is a lot like Synchro, except there's going to be so much more to it than "strong bond lolz." You're right that Thomas' flashback has something to do with his move to Hoenn and the second prediction is spot-on while there's a bit more to the first (you are right, though). Ya still got it! And thanks for the review!_

 **SirSwag333:** _Thanks a lot, and I'm so happy to hear that was your favorite chapter! Combusken is one of my favorite characters (I say this about almost everyone, but he's easily in the top 3) and I can't wait for him to become a no-nonsense ass-kicker, which starts quite soon, actually. Thomas and Grovyle jumping into action when no one else would/did is very, very important to the next arc (which starts in Chapter 29) and something like that might happen again sometime in the future, but their luck (e.g Gallade Guy saving them) is bound to run out. Thanks for the review!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 23** **, Leaf Blade, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 19, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 21, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
Mimikyu, (m), level 20, Mimic, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak*, Shadow Claw***

* * *

Combusken listened to the heart monitor near Ashley's bedside, unfazed by the piercing sound even after five hours. He was the only one in the room as his teammates trained outside, sticking to the regimen Ashley created specifically for each of them. It didn't bother Combusken - training took precedence over everything, according to Ashley - in fact, he preferred the solitude after what transpired the night before for two reasons.

First, he got her stabbed by flapping his gums. And second, he was too weak to protect her from Xurkitree.

It was a miracle Ashley lived through even _one_ of those events, let alone both, so he couldn't bear the thought of seeing his teammates, who somehow escaped the first situation unscathed.

The Fire type buried his face in his hands, blocked out the piercing sound coming from the heart monitor, and forced himself to remember the stab wound on Ashley's arm. He could only blame himself for what happened - if he took even a second to think before he spoke, and if he trained harder, she wouldn't have been stabbed and Xurkitree wouldn't have nearly killed her. Combusken's body began to shake ever so slightly and tears welled up in his eyes, though he didn't stop himself from looking back on one last memory.

 _I should've protected her. I promised to get stronger for her._

He could remember every little detail that lead to his vow, which came on his and Ashley's first day in Hoenn, specifically after he let a Wingull escape mid-battle due to exhaustion - the way she scowled after he apologized and said he was tired; how he said he deserved it and then made the promise; her silence before zapping him back inside the Poke Ball; and training through the night, just like she said they would.

"I'm sorry."

Combusken lifted his head up to look at Ashley, though he had a tough time seeing her since the tears made his vision blurry. He saw electrical burns covered parts of her arms, legs, and neck, and knew she needed to go under the knife given how often nerve damage occurred from such injuries. At least, that's what the doctors said, and who was he to second guess their knowledge?

"I'm... I'm _so_ sorry," Combusken whispered.

A single teardrop exploded against the ground before he began bawling, though he stopped to rise from his chair and leave the room. The second the door closed behind him, Combusken fell on his rear end and broke down. Thankfully, there wasn't a soul in the hallway - or even on the floor, for that matter - to hear him sob or see him convulse every time he gasped for air. Over time Combusken quieted down, but he refused to step foot in Ashley's room. If she was conscious, she'd have kicked his teeth in the second he started crying - that was one of the few rules she had: crying wasn't allowed, no matter the circumstances.

 _I know Ashley would be pissed if she saw me right now._ Combusken rose to his feet and wiped his nose with his arm, grinning at the thought. _This is the first, and last, time I'll ever cry. I can't waste my time being weak._

Suddenly, he cracked his neck and knuckles while his grin disappeared. _If I'm going to protect her,_ _I need to stop trying to be friends with the others. And I'll outwork them too. Nobody will hurt her again._

Combusken glanced at the door to her room for a fraction of a second before heading for the elevator. If he spent so much as another second keeping an eye on Ashley, he'd just be wasting his and her time. He was supposed to be training after all.

 **000**

A man walked down one of Mauville City's many ravaged streets, and not once did he look at the buildings - or at least what was left of them - on either side of him. The same couldn't be said for his Pokemon, its neck snapping left and right every other second with the same distraught expression plastered on its face.

Despite the terrible conditions around most of the city, they weren't the only ones out and about. Police, firefighters, and paramedics tended to now-homeless families and stray Pokemon, as did hundreds of volunteers, which was kind of uplifting - kind of.

"I never thought we'd see this place again. Brings back a lot of memories."

"Yeah, shitty ones." The man continued to ignore his surroundings as he slowly inhaled through his nose, drawing a glance from the Pokemon. "You should've told me to not come here, Pyro."

Both of them took a right turn at the end of the block and walked up to a massive one-story building. Lights covered every inch of the exterior, yet none of them were on despite it being nighttime.

"Of course _this_ dump wasn't destroyed."

A dilapidated sign with missing letters hung over the building's entrance, yet neither the man nor Pyro had any difficulty making out what it said.

"Mauville Game Corner, huh? Could've fooled me," said the Pokemon as he followed his trainer inside.

They quickly made it to the back right corner of the empty casino, pulled a poster off the wall, and pressed the button that had previously been hidden. A large chunk of the floor swung open and revealed a flight of lit stairs, which lead the man and Pokemon to a massive, open-floor basement. Four people stood near a glass case in the middle of the room and spun around the moment they heard footsteps.

"You're late, Will. By an hour."

The aforementioned trainer responded with a shrug as he walked forwards, drawing a pair of sighs from the man who had spoken.

"What counts is that I'm here now, right?"

Only one of the four people found Will's response to be funny, though he stopped laughing when the girl by his side punched him in the arm. He shot the girl an annoyed look, prompting her to strike him a second time.

Will shook his head with a smile and extended his hand towards the lone person who hadn't said or done something of note. He waited and waited for the white-eyed man to shake his hand, and had nobody spoken up, Will would've held his hand out for all of eternity.

"Blade's blind, remember?" asked Pyro, causing Will to sheepishly rub the back of his head.

An amused grin appeared on Blade's face. "It's been a while, Will."

"Yeah, long time no see-"

Will stopped talking, but after everyone laughed at his choice of words he shook hands with the next closest person.

"It's been a while, Tristan. What Elite Four stuff are you up to?"

"We just decided on a new format for the Hoenn League. How's the champion lifestyle treating you?"

"Not too bad, thanks," Will said between laughs. He then waved at the boy and girl, both of whom stopped bickering to return the gesture. "How's your old man, Molly?"

"Same as usual."

"How about your training, Tyson?"

"Same as usual."

Will deadpanned at each of the twenty-somethings' answers, but he didn't dwell on them since there were more pressing matters at hand. He and Pyro approached the glass case, scowling at the mere sight of Xurkitree.

It sat still with its back pressed against the glass, likely because of the rubber-covered chains wrapped around its body.

"Is that the same one from the Alola attack?"

"We can't say for sure, but the police said it hadn't acted aggressively until Tristan and I showed up, so I believe it is," Blade said.

"If that really _is_ the original Xurkitree, I don't understand how it went from murdering anything it could find to doing nothing for eight years." Tristan sighed as he shook his head.

No matter how hard they tried, neither Will nor Blade could come up with answer. Molly could though.

"You the other champions couldn't stop them, right?"

"Yeah," Pyro said. "Why do you ask?"

Molly glanced at Tyson, who nodded, and quickly turned back to the three elder trainers while saying, "About a hundred people told us Gallade Guy knocked it out in two hits. Maybe the Ultra Beasts are weaker now than they were back then."

"Two hits?!" Will screamed. Tristan, on the other hand, stared in shock.

"It's possible," Blade muttered, placing both of his hands on his cane. "For now, I'll focus on finding a way to send Xurkitree back to where it came from."

The champion cleared his throat while listening to everyone agree with his plan of action, and once they quieted down he continued speaking.

"While I work on that, I need you three to search the region in case any other Ultra Beasts appear," he told Tristan, Molly, and Tyson. "Will, when are you scheduled to be back here?"

The middle-aged man shrugged, prompting Pyro to answer in his stead. "Three months from today. And I promise we'll _actually_ be of use then, assuming there are still Ultra Beasts to deal with."

Blade and Tristan waved off the vow before the latter said, "Your hands are full with that _other_ issue, so don't worry about it. Just make sure it's take care of before you leave."

"Of course. I'll call you after it's done."

 **000**

With one violent swing of his leg Combusken kicked his target's head off and sent it flying at the speed of a bullet, flashing a prideful smile at the sight. His feet hit the ground shortly thereafter, and although he panted like mad Combusken kept training as he landed a series of vicious blows on his target. Combusken finished his assault by stabbing his talons through the target's chest repeatedly, tearing it to pieces while stuffing poured out.

Once he was done, Combusken stared at the unrecognizable dummy and shook his head. The Fire type attempted to walk towards the Pokemon Center's back entrance, except his legs gave out before he even took a step. However, he didn't fall to the ground because Metang used its psychic powers to catch him.

The floating hunk of metal gently placed Combusken on the ground with his back against the exterior of the Pokemon Center, drawing an appreciative nod from him. Metang returned the gesture and went back to training without a word while Rufflet flew over to Combusken and landed by his side while watching him smile.

"I didn't expect to see you out here. What's the deal?"

"Well, ya see, I-"

Combusken cut his response short and retreated to his mind. _What am I doing? I can't waste my time being friendly, I need to train!_

He wiped the smile off his face in an instant and said, "Following my training schedule just like the three of you."

Rufflet tilted his head while he examined the sudden changes in Combusken's body language, all of which were obviously forced, but he refrained from pointing them out. Ultimately, he flapped his wings and flew towards Metang to continue training, which drew a scowl from Combusken.

 _He isn't working hard enough if he can still fly._ Combusken watched Rufflet casually evade attacks from Metang, who was exhausted from its training, and his scowl became more pronounced when Rufflet yawned.

Although he wanted to berate the eaglet, he wasn't dumb enough to actually do it. Perhaps he'd have the right to do so in a month or two, but for now, he didn't have any clout since his actions nearly killed everyone.

Through a combination of rage and willpower, Combusken got up and marched inside the Pokemon Center. Since he completed his training for the day, unlike the others, and wasn't tired enough to sleep, he decided to hang out in Ashley's room for a little bit and took the elevator.

Upon reaching his trainer's floor, Combusken strolled to the end of the hallway and knocked on the door. The Fire type waited for three seconds, but when no one responded he turned the knob and walked in. He took just one step before his eyes shot open and he froze in place. Combusken turned around to check the room number and then spun back around before staring at the empty bed, which was supposed to be occupied by Ashley.

As he sprinted out of the room and searched the others on the floor, Combusken couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened to Ashley. _Where is she? Did someone take her? How would they even do that?_

When he arrived at the check-in Combusken had thought of every possible reason for Ashley's disappearance and relayed a handful of them to one of the on-duty receptionists sitting at his desk, prompting him and the others to read through the dozen or so lists of people who were either admitted to, or discharged from, both the emergency room and intensive care unit. Much to Combusken's dismay, no one found Ashley's name, nor had she been seen leaving.

"You should ask Nurse Joy if she saw your trainer - I'd be surprised if she didn't. We'll sweep through every floor in this wing, and if you do find her let us know."

"Thank you for the help," Combusken said while taking off for the Pokemon Center's lobby, which was behind the doors at the end of the hallway.

Once the Fire type spotted Nurse Joy, he repeated exactly what he said to the receptionists and received the exact same response even after Ashley's information - and her picture from her trainer license - was pulled up. While Combusken checked the surveillance cameras, Will and Pyro strolled through the entrance and up to Nurse Joy.

Neither she nor the man said a word as he placed five Poke Balls in one of the trays on the counter and nodded, prompting her to dig underneath the counter. It didn't take her long to find a metal rod, flip the switch on it - which caused the top half of it to change from silver to blue - and pressed the device against each Poke Ball, as well as Pyro, for five seconds.

"You're all set, Mister Knight. Do you need anything else?"

The aforementioned man smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, that's it, thanks. Have a nice night."

He headed towards the Pokemon Center's front entrance and waved until he remembered what Tristan said earlier, prompting him to spin and face Nurse Joy while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"Actually, would you be able to tell me if Ashley Baker has been here in the past week?" Will inquired, grabbing Combusken's attention.

"I'm sorry, sir, I can't unless you're her father or legal guardian."

"I _am_ her-"

Combusken suddenly sprung over Nurse Joy's desk and landed by Will's side, catching both humans by surprise, and he shouted, "She has! She has! Are you looking for her?"

Will and Pyro glanced at each other, slowly nodded in response to the question, and watched Combusken breathe a sigh of relief all before they asked, "Can you tell us where she is?" The elder trainer and Pokemon weren't prepared for the answer they ultimately received - that being "no" - and it showed on their faces, as they both failed to hide baffled expressions.

"I was with her a few hours ago, but she was unconscious and the doctors-"

"She was _unconscious_?" Pyro interjected, generating a nod from Combusken.

"The doctors said she needed surgery to treat the nerve damage in her arms and-"

" _Surgery_ and _nerve damage_?" This time it was Will who spoke over the Fire type, and unlike Pyro, he didn't stop at just one question. "How the hell did she get _nerve damage_? And why do you know all of this?"

Combusken flashed his usual stupid smile until he remembered his oath to protect Ashley. Once he traded in the smile for a cold, emotionless expression, Combusken locked eyes with Will and then Pyro.

"Ashley's my trainer, and her right arm has nerve damage because," he stated while lowering his head, "she jumped in front of a knife aimed at me." Combusken began to shake with anger, but that didn't stop him from adding one last thing. "It wouldn't have happened if I just kept quiet - if I wasn't such an idiot."

Tears welled up in his eyes for what must have been the millionth time that day, and because he did everything in his power to keep from crying, he was oblivious to the unspoken conversation going on between Will and Pyro. They'd narrow and widen their eyes, glance at something or in a certain direction, and shake their heads or nod, which Nurse Joy found both amusing and impressive. Being able to know exactly what the other was thinking at any given moment was a testament to their bond, one that many dreamed of and few attained.

Combusken kept staring at the ground, but when he felt someone pat him on the back he looked over his shoulder to see Pyro and Will walking towards the front entrance, both waving for him to tag along, which is exactly what he did. Once Combusken caught up, Will spun around to face him.

"No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to change the past."

Combusken flinched.

"Don't dwell on your mistakes, but never forget them."

With that, Will turned his back to Combusken, veered right, and sat down next to Pyro on a bench just outside the Pokemon Center. He then took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a map of Mauville City for both Pokemon to look at.

"When was the last time you saw her, Combusken?" Will asked.

"Uh... about three hours ago, and then I trained behind the Pokemon Center."

"Then she probably didn't go north towards the Winstrate house, otherwise you would've seen her." Pyro leaned closer to the screen and squinted, adding, "I bet she took Route 118."

"Same."

Combusken gave a blank stare, prompting the duo to elaborate.

"You need to go through downtown Mauville to reach Route 117, and since no one's allowed to pass through right now the police would have taken Ashley back here," Pyro said.

"Route 110, which basically connects Mauville to Slateport City, also got closed off because there's an investigation to see what exactly happened in New Mauville," Will stated. "Route 118, however, doesn't need to be sealed off."

"Why?"

"There's a huge body of water that's almost exclusively used by trainers. This year's Hoenn League only opened up four months ago, so only a few trainers have Pokemon strong enough to travel across."

Both Will and Pyro rose from the bench and remained silent as they began their trip down Route 118, and although Combusken didn't know it at the time, working with them would prove to be the biggest mistake of his life.

 **000**

Ashley looked out at the water in silence. Carvanha and Sharpedo would jump out every once in awhile to do tricks or catch prey. Both activities were truly sights to behold, at least in Ashley's opinion. For the ones who did tricks it wasn't their movements that caught her eye, rather it was the droplets of water that glistened in the moon's light less than a second at a time and the splashing sound. Then there were the hunters, who'd catch low-flying Wingull or Magikarp swimming mere inches below the surface.

Despite it looking gory, the act of hunting was actually quite elegant. Most people felt bad for the poor creature that ended up as another's meal, and Ashley did. But she also recognized how difficult it was for the sea-dwellers to succeed - both the timing and angle of their jump demanded perfection, or else they'd fail and go hungry. Catching Magikarp was nigh impossible due to the species' leaping ability and speed, both of which compensated for its inability to fight, so whatever hunted it needed to be smart about when, where, and how to strike. The goal was simple: get Magikarp out of the water so as to take away its mobility.

"Screw the Gyarados living in these waters," Ashley muttered after watching yet another Magikarp spring out of the water, only to be torn to shreds when it landed. "They _should_ protect the powerless. That's what your power's for, assholes."

She stopped talking for a moment to look at the reflection of herself on the Pokedex's screen, then, after focusing on her red irises, she removed her contact lessons. Upon second glance Ashley noticed the color in her eyes was nonexistent. She placed a hand over one, smiled, covered the other, and then beamed. However, when her gaze returned to the bloody water, Ashley scowled.

"If the Gyarados aren't strong enough to protect them, _they_ should be the ones dying."

What she once thought to be an underappreciated beauty was now sickening.

 _They have to be. And I bet they're sending Magikarp out to hunt for them!_ Whether that was true or not didn't matter to Ashley, because it was true to her. _It's exactly_ _like yesterday - that geriatric Gym Leader asked us to do his fucking job._

Ashley grabbed a rock and squeezed her hand closed as hard as she could. Her arm shook more and more, her grip growing tighter with each passing second. And it continued to as she thought of what transpired.

It was Wattson's fault the man at the gym was berated by citizens. It was Wattson's fault most of the city was destroyed. And it was Wattson's fault the powerless were slaughtered by Xurkitree.

Ashley crushed the rock. Blood dripped from her palm and splattered against the sand without a sound. Although she was consumed by rage her clouded mind became clear the instant her fingers grazed a smooth, metal object, which she grabbed. Ashley then raised her hand to her chest and unveiled a gold locket. Her other hand was both slow and steady while approaching the locket, though when she touched it she placed one finger on its side. Ashley used as little force was necessary to open the locket, which contained two pictures of a woman.

 _It's their fault. It's all their fault._

Tears welled in Ashley's eyes.

 _I need to get stronger._

Blood and tears soaked the locket as she sniffled.

 _I'll make them pay, Mom._

Ashley wiped her eyes and nose, closed the locket, put it away, and looked out at the water one last time. The sight of Magikarp's blood sickened Ashley so she turned her back to it, though she wouldn't have had she known what was waiting for her.

Pyro, Will, and Combusken stood no more than ten yards away and stared, prompting her to do the same. Other than the brief sound of splashing water there was nothing to be heard. The air grew still as well, and when Ashley locked eyes with Will it felt like they were engaged in a silent war. The tension emanating from both trainers grew so thick one could've almost cut it with a knife, though that didn't bother Combusken.

"Ashley! You're okay!" he hollered before running towards the aforementioned girl, at least he did until she turned and locked eyes with him.

Combusken stopped mid-stride and, although he didn't know it, that was the first time Ashley ever frightened him with a glare. Additionally, he didn't respond with a stupid smile unlike every instance prior to this one, and for one very obvious reason.

"Wh-what happened to your eyes?" the Fire type stammered, pointing one claw at Ashley's eyes. "They're gray now! Are you going blind?!"

Both questions were ignored and Ashley returned her glare to Will even after he looked at Combusken. He then placed a hand on the puzzled Pokemon's head and spoke to him directly.

"She wore colored contacts to make them red, and she isn't blind." Will cracked a smile when Combusken let out a sigh of relief, but his face was suddenly riddled with grief. "Her mother-"

"Shut your mouth!" screeched Ashley.

Will and Pyro felt their hearts skip a beat, so they grabbed their chests and took a moment to compose themselves. Meanwhile, Combusken jumped and let out a startled scream before he started to pant, refusing to look in Ashley's direction out of fear. Even so, he still felt her glare which caused his legs to shake.

"Why are you here?"

"I... I saw you left the hospital. I was worried something bad happened to you," Combusken said, his voice trembling.

"Not you." The gray-eyed girl pointed at Will. " _You_."

"Heard you were in the area," the aforementioned man said. "Figured we'd check on you, and we ran into Combusken."

Pyro turned from his trainer to Ashley. "He told us you suffered nerve damage. Is that true? Are you okay?" He then took a step forwards, though when Ashley glared at him he backed away.

Will did just the opposite, however, and approached her with an equally intimidating look on his face. They glared at each other, their faces separated by mere inches, which spurred Combusken to run towards, and step between, them. He slowly pushed Will back, shifting the spotlight away from Ashley and onto himself, and waited to be pushed back. But that didn't happen.

Rather than escalate the situation, Will defused it when he cracked a smile. _She actually_ _changed since last time._

"Well, even if you don't have nerve damage we should take you back to the hospital." Pyro appeared by his friend's side and nodded, prompting Combusken to do the same.

"Piss off." Both Fire types and Will locked their sights on Ashley, who had yet to stop glaring. "I know what happens when _you_ make decisions for people; I'm not going."

An awkward silence followed. Pyro and Will exchanged confused glances before the latter decided to respond. "Ashley, don't make this harder than it has to be. I have a flight to catch and you need medical attention, so let's go."

Will realized his stern tone had no effect and sighed.

"I told your mother I'd look after you," he said, unaware of Ashley closing her hands into fists. "And I don't plan on breaking my promise. We're taking you back to the hospital, no matter what."

Combusken backed away from the middle-aged man in fear.

It wasn't hard to tell how serious Will was - his no-nonsense expression and the frustration in his voice were dead giveaways. But if it came to it, would he force Ashley to go to the hospital? And if so, how? Those were the questions Combusken asked himself and couldn't answer. He met Will about two hours earlier and, obviously, didn't know a thing about the guy. His familiarity with Ashley, however, was on the other end of the spectrum.

Having traveled with her for over three months, Combusken didn't need to look at her or listen to the her tone to gauge her mood. One time she told him "if you're going to make threats, you better mean them," which she also applied to speaking - telling Will to "piss off" meant she'd do everything in her power to not go with him.

 _How do they know each other? And why does Ashley hate Will so much?_ Combusken stroked the feathers underneath his mouth and sighed. Little did he know one of the questions was about to be answered.

"You 'don't plan on breaking' it?" Ashley asked.

Will nodded. He had lit the match that sparked Ashley's fury.

"You broke it before you made it!"

"What?"

"If you did your job as Champion, you never would've needed to make that fucking promise in the first place!"

Will tilted his head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The Ultra Beast attack! _That's_ what I'm talking about!" In that moment Ashley was consumed with unbridled rage. She saw a pair of guilty expressions form on Will's and Pyro's faces shortly thereafter, but she didn't ease up on them. "You and the other champions were too fucking weak to kill the Ultra Beasts! It's your fault all those people died!"

The claims flooded into Will's ears. Each word Ashley spat struck with more force than the previous, a feeling that Will could only liken to being punched in the gut. By the time he'd heard all of what Ashley said, he couldn't say a word. She'd knocked the air out of his lungs despite never lifting her hand against him.

"You all called your militaries and Elite Fours knowing they'd all die. They were like lambs to the slaughter."

Ashley's quiet, controlled fury, left Will silent.

"Can you name everyone who died following your orders?"

"That's a ridicul-"

Pyro didn't finish the thought. He hung his head and refused to meet Ashley's gaze, doing nearly the exact same thing as Will. The elder duo refrained from uttering a word the whole time they kept their eyes to the ground, though when Will lifted his head he revealed the guilt-ridden expression slapped on his face. Ashley didn't react to the sudden change in Will's demeanor - she didn't move a muscle. In fact, she stood there and eyed him for an uncomfortably long time before he understood what she wanted him to do.

"No."

For one whole minute, Combusken's eyes darted back and forth between Ashley and both Will and Pyro, ultimately focusing on the latter two. Prior to encountering the gray-eyed girl, they carried themselves with confidence. That was no longer the case. When, why, and how did that happen to them?

Combusken had less than a second to think, as Ashley suddenly started walking towards him, or rather, Will and Pyro. The calm look on her face eroded with the first step she took, causing her pent-up anger to leak out. Chills ran down Combusken's spine.

"They were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, friends..."

Ashley took another step, a demonic look on her face appearing shortly thereafter.

"They had memories, hopes, and fears..."

The moment her foot hit the ground, Ashley radiated vengeance and fury.

"But they never made it back home. None of them..."

Ashley stepped forward for the final time, striking the fear of God into Will, Pyro, and even Combusken.

"Not even my mom!"

Her head dropped. The terrifying aura she exuded a few seconds earlier vanished as tears fell from her face, and Combusken rushed to her side before Will or Pyro knew what was happening. They didn't make a sound as Ashley tried to not break down sobbing, and she managed to do just that. She then wiped away her tears made eye contact with Will, which he took as a cue to talk.

"I'm so, so sorry, Ashley."

That was all Will could say.

"Go fuck yourself, Champ. And enjoy that title while you can," Ashley said as she walked away.

Will simply let out a sigh and shook his head. "You should've told me not to come here, Pyro."

* * *

 **You mad Ashley? Aside from her lambasting Will (and the other Champions) for what transpired during the Ultra Beast attack she revealed more of her past. Also, Combusken started his path to becoming a new, more serious version of himself.  
Next chapter's going to focus on Tom and Grovyle crossing paths with Gallade Guy, which will feature an enormous development. Till then, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "The Gift**_ ** _"_**

 ** _Thomas and Grovyle try to get passed their near-death experience on a walk down Route 118, but they cross paths with Gallade Guy, who asks to speak in private. Myles and Gallade then reveal their identities and_** ** _offer to pass their power on to Thomas and Grovyle - but there's a catch. What power do Myles and Gallade wield? Will Thomas and Grovyle accept their offer?_** ** _  
_**

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 27: Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!  
Chapter 28: Scars of Past and Present**


	26. The Gift

**Boom. Tetris for Jeff. Anyways, howdy folks. I'm back with another update, and this time it didn't take me a month to post! Huzzah! To recap last chapter, Combusken blamed himself for Ashley's injuries and doubled down on becoming more serious so as to prevent her from getting hurt in the future, he began searching for Ashley (she disappeared from her hospital room), and ran into Will and Pyro (who were also looking for Ashley). Before they found her, Ashley had a brief moment of weakness that ended the moment Will arrived, and she blamed him for her mother's death during the Ultra Beast attack.  
Also, I decided to cut Louise's part and instead make that its own chapter because it's far too important to play second fiddle. That means the focus is solely on Thomas and how he was impacted by Xurkitree's rampage.  
Now let's get going!**

 **Rales Mckoy:** _I'm happy it has, too. The impact it has on his teammates will be immediate, but it'll take some time for Ashley to be effected. As you said, now y'all know there's a reason for Ashley being the way she is and why she's so angry. The Ultra Beast incident will be revealed bit by bit, though most of the information comes up in the third arc, as well as the roles Gray, Will, and Tristan played. I doubt Gray's Pokemon will appear (it'd be cool though), or Heros/White for that matter. I've thought about bringing back Trent since he and Tom are both tactical battlers (he could be a mentor of sorts), but there are so many characters in the story, and they all need development._ _Thanks for the review!_

 **BouncingFish:** _Math stuff. Hell yeah. Combusken's change isn't just for show - there are a few interactions/situations that it causes right off the bat, actually. Additionally, his relationships will be much, much different going forward. Glad you mentioned the injuries Ashley suffered (despite them having no impact on her in the chapter), because they are important (how? you'll find out later), and just how significant her emotional moment was. Seeing her, of all people, break down the way she did changes how readers look at her. I'm even happier about your reaction to Ashley and Will's relationship! Looking at it through a logical lens, she shouldn't be so angry with him. But emotions aren't logical (sometimes), and that's exactly how I wanted to portray it - some people may feel her anger's justified, other's won't. Ashley's family situation is arguably the biggest subplot of the story, so you'll see it come up a lot in the future. And the next Ultra Beast battle... man, I can't wait for it either, lol. Thanks for the review!_

 **Trentavious Phoenix:** _I can see why you feel that way about Combusken no longer being an idiot, but there still should be some lightheartedness with Ashley's team. Regarding Will, he's the champion of a different region (Blade is Hoenn's champ) that I never mentioned for reasons I don't know. And as you said, there are a lot of roles that a lot of different characters could play with the whole Ultra Beast incident, which I'm looking forward to. Thanks for the review!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Haha, great to hear from you, sir. Powerhouse is an understatement, really. Combusken will be a monster later on, and you'll get to see just how strong he is very, very soon. You're right about Ashley aiming for the title of Champion, and that will be elaborated on (or upon? Idk) some time in the future. As for your guesses, this is one of the rare instances in which I won't tell you whether or not you're right. Take that however you'd like :P Thanks for the review, my guy!_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _'Twas a long review, laddie. Muy bien. You covered Combusken's relationship with Ashley excellently, my favorite part being how you brought up Combusken being worked to (near) death in Chapter 2. Reading that made me realize just how ridiculous it is that he likes her, and I'm happy about that, because that ties into his character (can't find a way to word it, but I'll PM you if I can). Thank you, by the way! I put more time into showing Combusken's emotions than I did any other part of the chapter because writing scenes like that are foreign to me. I'm not an emotional guy, so it's amazing to hear it was done well. Also, that's an interesting prediction (Ashley hating Combusken for working with Will), and while I love the idea of it, it's not why Combusken made the "biggest mistake of his life." I couldn't help but laugh at how you described Ashley and her transformation, which is why she's one of my favorite characters as well. Thanks again! You'll learn about her past by the end of Fortree, methinks. This story easily craps on the others, so no offense taken xD Thanks for the review!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 23** **, Leaf Blade, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain*, Double Kick*** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 19, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*  
Slowpoke, (f), level 21, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*  
Mimikyu, (m), level 20, Mimic, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak*, Shadow Claw***

* * *

Thomas and his Pokemon waved to Wattson as they walked out of the gym, each one of them with a befuddled expression plastered on their faces. Yet they were also happy and even disappointed. Experiencing as many emotions as they were, and at the same time, no less, was both overwhelming and confusing. Ultimately, Thomas shrugged. He accepted reality and what had happened mere moments ago as he placed a shiny piece of metal in his badge case, the third of his collection. It was yellow and looked like a coiled wire, but it didn't have the same shine to it that the other badges did.

"Dat means we's got anutta..." Everyone turned to Fletchling as he looked at his wings and counted to himself. "Five ta go. Dey bettuh not be like dis bozo."

"I hope not. It's nice he recognized what Thomas and Grovyle did," Slowpoke opined, drawing a fearsome glare from Mimikyu. "And if we keep getting badges without battling, I'm all for it. That's less work for us."

If looks could kill, Slowpoke surely would've dropped dead right then and there. Mimikyu didn't think it was possible for his glare to harden, but sure enough he was wrong. Slowpoke had just done the impossible, and he was _not_ happy.

 _How revolting._ _You truly are better off dead._

"Dat's a shitty attitude. I ain't nevuh gonna take no handouts, and dat's why ya got a stomach da size of a bowlin' bawll," Fletchling shot back.

Both Thomas and Grovyle tried not to laugh, but when they saw the look on Slowpoke's face their efforts proved futile. Even Mimikyu couldn't help but crack a grin, yet another thing he never thought was possible.

 _Perhaps I was wrong about the dumb one._

Grovyle stopped laughing and turned to Thomas. "Now that we have the badge, what's the plan?"

"We're ahead of schedule, but I guess we can leave tomorrow," he said with a shrug.

As they made their way back to the Pokemon Center the quintet examined the state of the buildings, most of which were in ruins. It was impossible for vehicles to go anywhere, as the road was torn up beyond belief, and people littered the sidewalks. Most, if not all of them, lost their homes. Thomas had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"If only we'd stopped that thing sooner."

The Alolan whipped his head to the left and stared at Grovyle. He felt her pain.

"Had you not acted when you did, the Gallade would not have arrived in time to save either of you, or the girl," Mimikyu said.

Thomas and Grovyle hung their heads - they knew he was right, but that didn't mean they were able to stomach it. They couldn't defeat Xurkitree, save Ashley, or even keep themselves alive. Gallade Guy could, though, and he _did_. That's what made him a hero, and that's what made them... them.

Why did either of them try saving Ashley? Yes, they acted before they could think. But they knew that even if everything went their way, the Ultra Beast would _not_ have fallen. Xurkitree was too strong, and they were too weak. The simplicity of it cut Thomas and Grovyle deep - there was nothing they could've done to make the outcome better, only worse.

 _Not again. Not again._ The Alolan hung his head and chanted the thought all the way back to the Pokemon Center.

He walked past his destination, generating four different reactions from all four of his Pokemon.

"Da hell's ya doin', Boss?"

"Hey! We're here!"

Neither Fletchling nor Slowpoke succeeded in getting his attention while Mimikyu didn't bother to try. Grovyle, however, caught up to him and waved for the others as if to say "let me handle this," so they did.

"Are you okay, Thomas? You seem out of it."

Upon hearing his name, the aforementioned trainer lifted his head and looked at Grovyle.

"I..." He paused. Not a sound was made until Thomas spoke again. "I need to go for a walk."

He turned and walked away from Grovyle without another word, though that didn't stop her from tagging along. Nor did it seem to bother him. In fact, he smiled. She didn't notice it, but what she _did_ notice was that he never expressed a desire to be alone. And that was why she walked with him down Route 118.

Neither of them bothered trying to talk, as they were engrossed in observing the wild Pokemon in the trees. The moon overhead provided just enough light for both Thomas and Grovyle to make out the identity of each creature they saw. Eventually, there were no more trees on either side of the road, but there was a massive body of water straight ahead.

"Wow. This is beautiful." Grovyle walked through the sand, her eyes locked onto the reflection of the moon.

Thomas sat down and gazed across the water. "This reminds me of home."

"Really?" Grovyle asked after glancing over her shoulder.

"Mhm."

"I'd love to go there some day. We actually could once the league year's over."

"Not unless we win."

"What? Why?"

Thomas rubbed his fingers together, but Grovyle didn't understand. "The flight's too expensive. Plus, we'd starve since I don't have a job."

"But you don't have a job right now."

"True, but I _can_ take food from the Pokemon Center."

"Can't you do that innnnn..." Grovyle hummed until Thomas picked up on what she was asking.

"Alola."

"Can't you do that in Alola?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"The Ultra Beasts."

"They're there too?!"

"No, but they were there almost ten years ago. They destroyed everything."

An awkward silence fell over the two as they stared out at the water. For a second, Grovyle turned and opened her mouth to speak but stopped. She didn't know what to say - coming up with a forced response would probably make things more awkward - so she didn't say anything and returned her gaze to the water.

Suddenly, a foreign voice asked, "Is that why you tried to stop Xurkitree?"

Both Grovyle and Thomas jumped, let out a scream, and spun around to see none other than Gallade Guy, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean ta startle you, Terrance."

"No probl-" Thomas stopped. For the second time in as many days, he was known as Terrance, not Thomas. _Terrance_.

Gallade Guy let out a hearty laugh as he watched a distraught look creep across Thomas' face, saying, "That'll never get old. Hahaha!"

He realized he was the only one to laugh, as Thomas was too confused and Grovyle too concerned for her trainer, which prompted vigilante to quiet down and clear his throat.

"So, Thomas, was that why you tried to stop Xurkitree?" he asked again, grabbing the Alolan's attention.

"No."

"No?"

Thomas shook his head adamantly and said, "I didn't think, my body moved on its own."

"And you, Grovyle?" Gallade Guy folded his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes as he did so.

"The same thing happened to me. I was really scared, so I don't know why I acted."

Thomas nodded, echoing the statement.

Gallade Guy looked over the Alolan and gecko several times. _He isn't telling the whole truth, but he'll come around soon enough._

"So uh..." Thomas paused and kicked at the sand. "What are you doing here, sir?"

Gallade Guy snapped out of his thoughts and chuckled. He locked eyes with Thomas and then Grovyle.

"Last night, I was prepared to watch Xurkitree kill that girl. I would've been just like those bystanders."

He saw the disbelief on the trainer's and Pokemon's faces, causing his stomach to drop.

"But when you two rushed in and risked your lives to save that girl, you taught me what it meant to be a hero."

Carried by the wind, Gallade Guy's words struck Thomas with such force he nearly fell over. Did he hear that correctly? Did Gallade Guy - _the_ Gallade Guy - call _him_ a hero? He must've been dreaming, right? Judging by the vigilante's amused reaction, Thomas realized he was wrong.

Words failed to describe how he felt.

"That's why I've decided," he said, suddenly putting his hands together, "to do this."

"Do wh-"

Before Grovyle had time to ask her question, she and Thomas were blinded by a wave of white aura that swallowed Gallade Guy whole. Despite closing their eyes, and covering them with their arms, they had to turn around to keep from going blind. It took awhile for the aura to fade away, though when it did, Thomas and Grovyle saw an old, emaciated man - Myles - standing next to a normal-looking Gallade.

Their jaws dropped.

"Where d-d-did Gallade Guy go?" Grovyle stammered, eliciting laughter from both Gallade and Myles.

"You're looking right at him."

Myles pointed at himself with his thumb, then bobbed his head to the side and at Gallade. The elderly man was overtaken by a coughing attack less than a second later, generating a pair of horrified reactions.

"That's impossible! He looks like the average Gallade!"

Thomas pointed at the aforementioned Pokemon, who scowled. Myles, on the other hand, laughed so hard he began to cough once again. Fortunately he covered his mouth, making it impossible for anyone to see the blood on his hand.

Gallade paid no attention to Myles and retorted, " _I_ look average? Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

Much to Gallade's dismay, Thomas ignored him and looked to be waiting for a response from Myles. He quickly shifted his attention towards Grovyle after sighing, though, like her trainer, she too was focused solely on Myles.

She asked, "And how are _you_ also Gallade Guy?"

 _Oh yeah, he pointed at himself and Gallade. This guy's crazy,_ thought Thomas.

The Alolan felt a bead of sweat roll down in his forehead. If he was right, he and Grovyle needed to run. The only problem was there was no telling what Myles would do if that happened.

"You sure do overthink things, kid."

Thomas flinched, his train of thought shattering into a million pieces. Myles smiled at him, but that only fueled Thomas' paranoia. Somehow, the emaciated man was aware of that, so he raised his hands as a way to tell Thomas and Grovyle he had no intentions of fighting. He noticed they dropped their guards slightly, and then completely once Gallade also raised his hands, but instead of jumping right back into conversation, Myles took a deep breath and waited for the tension to die down. Finally, it did.

"I know claiming to be a Pokemon sounds insane, but give us a minute to explain. If you don't believe us then, we'll leave you alone. Deal?"

Although he could see the annoyed look his friend was giving him, Myles ignored it and instead focused on Thomas and Grovyle. Seeing them communicate with only their eyes made him laugh, but he stopped once they turned to him and nodded.

Myles wasted no time as he reached into his coat pockets and, within seconds, held his hands out. Resting in each palm was a crystal with a chain, the sight of which puzzled Grovyle and Thomas.

"What are those?"

"Why are they different colors?"

After he handed the peach-colored crystal to Gallade, Myles held up his index finger to tell the younger duo to be quiet. He looked down at the black crystal he was holding, closed his hand around it like Gallade did with the peach crystal, and they pressed their fists against each other. As soon as they did, Myles and Gallade were enveloped in black and peach aura, respectively.

The waves of aura connected where Myles' and Gallade's fists were and began to spin around each other until Myles' body seemingly disappeared. The black and peach aura stopped spinning, and when it opened up it looked exactly like a rose blooming. Thomas and Grovyle watched in stunned silence as Gallade Guy emerged with a smirk.

"As the old sayin' goes: truth is stranger than fiction," the human-Pokemon hybrid said as he put his hands together.

Like the last time, Grovyle and Thomas shielded their eyes before they could lay their eyes on Myles and Gallade.

"Pretty cool, right?" asked Myles.

"What _was_ that?" the younger two shot back in unison.

Gallade handed Myles the peach crystal and said, "Burst Evolution. It's like Mega Evolution, except the trainer and Pokemon fuse." He took a moment to gather his breath before he continued. "Those crystals are called Burst Hearts. They're like-"

"Mega Stones. Right," Thomas interjected. "But why are you telling us all of this?"

"Yeah, shouldn't you want to keep it a secret?" Grovyle asked.

"We have - for about fifty years," stated Gallade. His voice cracked like a whip, causing Grovyle to jump.

Myles chuckled at the sight. "We've been looking for an apprentice the last couple of years, but we never picked one."

Gallade nodded, reaffirming his friend's answer.

"After seeing you act when no one else would, we decided _you_ were who we'd been searching for this whole time."

Thomas and Grovyle looked at each other, then at Myles and Gallade, and then back at each other. They didn't know how to respond to the fairytale-like development. Words failed them at that moment, though they were fortunate Myles knew just how to lighten the mood.

"Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself."

The emaciated man cracked a sheepish smile as he reached into his other coat pocket, pulled out two transparent Burst Hearts, and held them out for Thomas and Grovyle. He watched them back away almost immediately before he turned to Gallade.

Without hesitating, the elderly Pokemon said, "Those won't make you fuse, they'll become a different color after Myles asks you a few questions."

"We never said we wanted to be your apprentices," both Grovyle and Thomas stated.

"You never said you _didn't_ want to, either," Myles and Gallade retorted.

They knew their elders were right, not that they cared, and admitted as much when they each took a Burst Heart from Myles. After Thomas and Grovyle closed their right and left hands, respectively, they repeatedly glanced at each other, both waiting for something - anything - to happen.

That continued for another minute or two until Myles finally stopped coughing and said, "Close your eyes and keep your hands closed." As he wiped the blood off his sleeve, the emaciated man noticed that Thomas and Grovyle followed his instructions, which made him smile.

"Before we start, let me make something clear. If any of your answers are lies - and believe me, Gallade and I _will_ know if they are - we're leaving. Understood?"

They nodded.

"Good. Now, do _not_ tell me your answers to the first - and only the first - question."

They nodded.

"What do you value more than anything?"

Myles and Gallade looked back and forth between their soon-to-be apprentices for what felt like an eternity - even though it had only been a minute - until, suddenly, the Burst Hearts began to glow, albeit dimly.

As soon as Myles turned away to cough, Gallade grabbed his chest and winced.

"Grovyle, what are your relationships with your teammates like?"

The aforementioned gecko scratched the side of her head as she planned her response.

"Me and Slowpoke get along really well, but Mimikyu hasn't been around long enough for there to be a friendship."

During the time in which Grovyle caught her breath, Gallade pointed at her Burst Heart and shook his head at Myles.

"I'm definitely closest with Fletchling. He protected me a few times when I was too scared to do anything," she said, each word making the Burst Heart glow brighter. "I've always admired his courage."

It took a few seconds for the crystal to return to its usual, dim state, and once it did, Myles asked another question.

"What's been the most impactful moment of your journey so far?"

"My battle against Roxanne's Cranidos," Grovyle said. "Up until then, I was so nervous about letting Thomas down. But when Fletchling lost, I wanted to beat Cranidos for him and everything he'd done for me before, except it ended in a draw."

The light from Grovyle's Burst Heart pierced through her hand and illuminated the night sky.

"I fell trying to walk off the battlefield, but Thomas caught me and hugged me. That was the first time I thought, 'he really does care about me,' and it changed me forever."

While the elder duo smiled, Thomas didn't listen to a single word his Pokemon said. He was far too focused on preparing for the questions _he'd_ have to answer. And just like that, they came.

"Thomas, what do you like most about being a trainer?"

Thomas shrugged, flooring the elderly duo. However, when their eyes were drawn to the Burst Heart in his hand, which was glowing intensely, he delivered a proper answer.

"Watching everyone become more powerful, like Grovyle."

Gallade turned to his friend and, despite them having both seen it, pointed at the Burst Heart, drawing a nod before the next question was asked.

"Why did you become a trainer?" the emaciated man quizzed.

"So I could leave this place," Thomas said without hesitation, catching Myles off guard.

"Where would you go?"

"Home."

Unbeknownst to Thomas, the Burst Heart in his hand produced so much light that Myles and Gallade had to shield their eyes to keep from going blind. They waited, listening to the sounds of Carvanha hunting their pray, for Thomas' Burst Heart to dim before daring to ask another question, and not just any question - it was the kind that everyone knew not to talk about. Yet for whatever reason, that didn't stop Myles from asking it.

"Were any of your loved ones - friends, family, pets - killed during the Ultra Beast attack?"

Thomas closed his hands as tight as he could, causing his arms to shake wildly. And although Myles knew what that reaction meant, he was prepared to push for a verbal response.

"I don't talk about that," the Alolan said, his voice as cold as ice. "Next question."

The Burst Heart emitted no light as Thomas spoke, causing Myles and Gallade to shake their heads. However, the emaciated man went along with Thomas' demands.

"What is your goal in life?"

Thomas froze the moment he heard the question. His arms stopped shaking, the scowl on his face was replaced with a blank expression, and he nearly dropped the Burst Heart. Suddenly, it began to light up, albeit barely.

"Leaving this place." Thomas took a moment to let his words sink in before continuing. "And going _home_."

Both Myles and Gallade watched the Burst Heart glow a bit brighter, but not nearly as bright as it had earlier. They turned to face each other and exchanged facial expressions, Gallade's being one of apprehension while Myles' was one of slight frustration. As soon as they bumped fists, they were shrouded in a light coat of aura and looked as if they were about to fuse. But they didn't.

 _"He isn't being truthful,"_ Gallade stated, his voice ringing in Myles' head.

 _"But he isn't lying, either,"_ the aforementioned man replied telepathically, just as his friend had done before. _"What do you think we sh-?"_

Gallade pulled his arm back before Myles could finish asking his question - thus ending the telepathic conversation - and said, "What else? There's more to it than that."

Thomas opened his eyes and glared at Gallade.

"Leaving here and going home. That's my answer."

The light didn't shine any brighter, but it drew Thomas' gaze anyway. He then opened his hand and looked at the crystal before lifting his gaze.

"Thomas, we'll give you one more chance to tell us the truth. What is-"

"Here." Thomas walked towards Myles and handed him the Burst Heart. "Grovyle, let's go. I'm done with this."

Upon hearing her name, Grovyle opened her eyes and saw Thomas hand over the Burst Heart, so she did the same and watched him stomp back to the Pokemon Center. While her trainer didn't bother looking back at Myles or Gallade, she did. She even bowed _and_ waved to them before racing down the road, catching up to Thomas in no time.

Once the younger duo disappeared from his sight, Gallade let out an agitated sigh while turning to his friend, asking, "So what do we do now?"

Myles didn't respond. He turned to look out at the water and remained silent, listening to the sounds of nature as he attempted to clear his mind. When Gallade sat down on the sand and began to meditate, Myles did so as well, mirroring his friend as he closed his eyes.

"I'm not picking another successor, if that's what you meant."

Gallade laughed to himself and shook his head. "Of course you're not. But do you have a plan?"

"Mhm."

The Pokemon waited for Myles to elaborate.

"We'll keep an eye on them tonight. If an opportunity doesn't present itself, we'll wait until tomorrow to make our pitch again."

They continued to meditate in silence as the waves rolled in and crept up the sand. After about ten or fifteen minutes, they opened their eyes at the same time and made their way towards the Pokemon Center, neither saying a word the whole way there.

 **000**

Mimikyu sat as still as a statue, studying his teammates and trainer in total silence. He could tell from their body language that they were oblivious to the fact. His scowl grew more pronounced with each passing second, and yet he didn't stop what he was doing - in fact, he leaned forward and widened his eyes, fighting the urge to lunge at them. All of a sudden, Mimikyu felt his ears twitch a few times and he turned towards the sound that had grabbed his attention.

It was Thomas. He was busy scribbling away in his notebook while Grovyle watched him with a worried look on her face. Every once in awhile she'd peek over her shoulder and at Fletchling and Slowpoke, who were training, which never failed to draw a sigh from the cloth-wearing Pokemon as he'd shake his head.

 _Oh? Is there more to her than I thought?_

Mimikyu's scowl turned into a smirk, a smirk so wicked it'd scare even the most deranged creatures on the planet. That's how the cloth came in handy - contrary to the Pokedex, he didn't wear it out of jealousy of Pikachu, not at all. He wore it to keep from scaring off his prey.

 _She and the human - and their relationship - are quite interesting, indeed._

Mimikyu could hardly control himself: he began to shake and moan ever so slightly, though not loud enough for anyone to hear.

 _It's both a splendid and wretched development - this game grows more pleasurable each and every day, yet waiting for the climax is unbearable! I mustn't pick the fruit until it's ripe._

"Ya know I almost threw out my back schleppin' ya around. Dat gut o' yaws is gross and got's ta go, 'specially cause yaw a lady."

Mimikyu's ears twitched a second time, so he shifted his gaze to Fletchling. After he smirked he watched his teammate get attacked by Slowpoke, who strangled him with her tail and slammed him against the floor a few times, with a disgusted expression suddenly plastered on his face.

 _Rotten fruit, on the other hand, must be disposed of immediately._

"Hey guys."

Both feuding Pokemon looked at Thomas, as did Mimikyu.

"I can't think, so shut up or get out."

Despite not taking his eyes away from the notebook on the table or putting down his pencil, Thomas managed to put an end to the brawl between his Pokemon. Never had he spoken to them in such an authoritative manner.

The sweet sound of silence was music to Thomas' ears. He took a second to stop writing, a scowl making its way onto his face. Within nanoseconds, Thomas got up from his seat and walked towards the battlefield.

 _That asshole. He just couldn't stop talking about the Ultra Beast attack._ Thomas bit his lip so hard it started to bleed. _You want to know my goal in life? Why should I tell you?_

He continued to bite his lip without restraint, the blood now splattering against the ground.

"There you are!"

Thomas snapped out of his rage and turned around to see Ashley, whose colorless eyes caught him off guard. She looked more pissed than she'd ever been in her life, and Thomas could tell just from the way her voice exploded.

"What do you want?" he shot back, returning to his enraged state almost immediately.

Ashley cracked her knuckles while Combusken, who was right at her hip, glanced at the young woman out of concern.

"A battle. Right now," she said, a mere foot separating her from Thomas.

Each of Thomas' Pokemon stopped what they were doing and focused solely on their trainer. It had been nearly two months since their last battle against someone who wasn't a Gym Leader - not counting their run-in with the gang members - so they were eager to hear his response.

Thomas could tell as much and, fueled by his anger, nodded.

"Fine. Let's go."

* * *

 **Massive developments, people. To recap -** **Tom** **got the Dynamo Badge for fighting Xurkitree, talked briefly with Grovyle about Alola, and then Gallade Guy appeared. Gallade Guy** **revealed his identities (Myles and Gallade) and offered to teach Tom and Grovyle how to use Burst Evolution, but after bringing up the Ultra Beast attack (of Alola), Tom shot down the offer and left for the Pokemon Center, where he ran into Ashley. He then accepted her challenge, and that's where things ended.** **  
** **Next chapter is the long-awaited battle between Thomas and Ashley, and oh man, this one's going to be absolutely brutal for all Pokemon involved. Don't expect to see an update for a month, if not longer, because I want to make sure their battle lives up to the hype.** **  
** **Till then, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Round**_ ** _1: Grovyle vs Combusken!"_**

 ** _Ashley tries to get past the Xurkitree incident and prove her strength by destroying Thomas in their battle! Bad blood and opposing philosophies aren't the only reasons both sides go well beyond their limits - they have something to prove! Who will emerge victorious, a_** ** _nd at what cost?_**

* * *

 **Bonds Arc: Mauville City**

 **Chapter 28:** **Scars of Past and Present** **  
**


	27. Round 1: Grovyle vs Combusken!

**Hey hey hey, it's Chapter 27 (finally). Fat Albert references aside, how's it going, folks? Last chapter saw Thomas receive the Dynamo badge for his efforts against Xurkitree, and then after talking briefly with Grovyle, Gallade Guy appeared and revealed his identities. From there, Myles and Gallade offered to pass their power - Burst Evolution - on to Thomas and Grovyle, but after asking Tom about the Ultra Beast attack and some other personal things, their offer was turned down. Later, Thomas ran into Ashley at the Pokemon Center and agreed to battle her!  
This chapter will feature the battle between Thomas and Ashley, which will be an absolute slugfest.  
Now let's get going!**

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Battle hype, indeed. You'll actually learn why Thomas wants to go back to Alola soon, and I may have a mini arc that takes place there to show the condition it's in. If not, then you'll see what it's like at the very end of the story. Burst has some rough drawbacks that will keep it from being OP, and Myles won't have to do much to convince Thomas, surprisingly. I'd love to say more about it, but, ya know, spoilers :P_

 **BouncingFish:** _Much appreciated, señor. I think it's funny that Thomas, who lacks a lot of the qualities that make a hero, was picked to be Gallade Guy's apprentice over someone like Verde or even Louise. And, like you said, the prerequisite for Tom to get Burst is too much for him to handle, though there's still a chance he'll overcome it. I love that you brought up Mimikyu (especially the lengths he's willing to go to for his "game") because I didn't put that part in for fun - let's just say he'll have a very big role in the upcoming arc. Angry-trainer-clash for the win, lol. Thanks!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Thanks! Mimikyu... what a guy, amiright? I can't wait to continue building on his psychopathy. It's good to hear that the Burst trial was liked by someone - I thought peopled would've found it boring even though I liked it. The Ultra Beast attack is crucial to the plot and is one of the main focuses of the upcoming arc, and you're right about this battle being intense. I love the prediction as well, though you'll have to wait and see if it's right ;)_

 **DeltaRL:** _It really does, lol. Thanks, I'm proud with how the story's turned out so far and I agree that there are too many characters right now (I won't introduce any others), but I don't see how Tom getting the Dynamo badge makes it difficult to follow. I think you'll be surprised by the outcome of the battle, and interesting predictions!_

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Not gonna lie, I'm of the same mind as Slowpoke. What's odd about the tension between her and Mimikyu is that it's only been seen from him, plus it's growing each day. Y'all already know Mimikyu's capable of murder, so it shouldn't surprise y'all if he did it again, though, to be fair, he only killed The Trick Master to protect Thomas. Happy to hear you enjoyed the interaction between Tom and Myles (and the other scenes you mentioned), and you're right about there being tons of damage in this battle. No need to apologize, sir. And thanks!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 23:** **Leaf Blade, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain, *Double Team, *Double Kick** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 19: Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, *Steel Wing, *Agility  
Slowpoke, (f), level 21: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, *Water Gun, *Confusion  
Mimikyu, (m), level 20: Mimic, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, *Shadow Sneak, *Shadow Claw**

* * *

Ashley stomped down the dirt road, grinding her teeth and digging her fingernails into her palms. She had already reached the halfway point of Route 118 after starting at the end of the route in about twenty minutes without making a sound.

Her eyes remained never drifted to the left or right, not even when Combusken would turn and not-so-subtly glance at her. It very well might have been the first time he kept his mouth shut since they arrived in Hoenn.

 _Whoopee! I still haven't talked!_ The Fire type remained stone-faced and continued to walk by his trainer's side. _But man, this sure is tough. How the heck does Ashley do it?_

Combusken crossed his arms, scrunched his face, and held his breath. _I can't... keep this... up._ Underneath his feathers, Combusken's face began to turn blue from oxygen depravation, yet he refused to breathe.

 _No... I swore to get serious and strong for Ashley! If I can't do something as easy as this-_ He gasped for air and held his chest. _There's no way I'm going back on my word!_

With that thought in mind, Combusken punched his right arm straight ahead. He grinned like an idiot, as usual, until he ran one of his over his cheek. As soon as it grazed over the muscle on his face, Combusken face-palmed and hid the grin.

Shaking his head, he thought, _Aw shucks! I gotta focus on not smiling so dang much,_ shifting his attention back to the road shortly thereafter. Just then, Combusken caught a glimpse of Ashley try to crack her knuckles against each side of her face, except she could only do it with one arm.

"Hrgnh... fucking prick."

She muttered the words, spitting them venomously before she tried to crack the knuckles of her left hand again with the help of her right. Despite the different approach, the result remained the same: Ashley couldn't move her left arm far enough.

Attempting to raise her arm a third time, her breathing grew heavier and more frequent. Ashley threw out cusses flew left and right, each louder than the previous, through her pearly white teeth as she poured all of her energy into moving the limb. Even if all that came of it was an extra inch of mobility, Ashley would've considered it a success. But, of course, it didn't turn out that way.

Accompanying Ashley's perfectly-kempt teeth was her famous scowl, one that struck the fear of god into anyone who laid eyes on it - except Combusken.

Speaking of whom, the Fire type backed away from his trainer. Unlike every other time he'd seen Ashley scowl, whether at him or someone else, he didn't respond with _his_ famous idiotic smile. And how could he in situation such as the one he found himself in?

Spit flew everywhere as Ashley went on another cuss-filled tangent, which scared off all the wild Pokemon slumbering nearby.

"The next time I see him, I'll nail that asshole to a God damn tree and shit down his fucking throat."

Each second that passed saw Combusken back away from Ashley, inch by inch, as he too, scowled. _I_ _shouldn't have looked for her with Will. From this moment forward, I hate him too._

All of a sudden, Ashley locked her eyes onto Combusken. Merely peeking at his trainer's demonic-looking eyes reduced the Fire type to a trembling mess. He tried to avoid her gaze by turning his head, only to learn of his petrification after his body wouldn't move.

Right after that discovery, Combusken felt his ears twitch at the click-clacking sound of Ashley's boots. By the time he'd gone back to looking at her, Combusken was greeted to the sight of Ashley standing right in front of him. Their faces were less than an inch apart from each other, though neither of them moved a muscle once they locked eyes.

Beads of sweat began to roll down the Fire type's brow as his brain went into overdrive trying to discover what Ashley's next move would be.

And then it came. She balled her left hand into a fist, looked at it, and then looked up at her petrified starter. The demonic nature of her gaze was no longer felt by the trembling Pokemon, who waited for Ashley to do, or say, something.

"We're battling Thomas tonight, no matter what. Got it?"

Combusken nodded and almost immediately followed up with a question, as he asked, "Why do you want to battle him so bad?"

The demonic aura returned in a flash once Ashley narrowed her eyes, causing Combusken to jump.

"I hate him," she said. "And I'll make sure he knows he's nothing more than the dirt under my boots."

Ashley walked away before Combusken could ask another question, which he muttered under his breath.

"But... why?"

It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination, the Pokemon Center, and march through the lobby. The young woman and her Pokemon each returned Nurse Joy's warm greeting with a bow before stopping by the automatic doors - which they could, and did, look through.

They saw a young man, who was scribbling something in his notebook like a madman, step foot on the battlefield and make his way to the center. Ashley recognized Thomas right away, her heart racing as she kept the shaggy-haired brunet in her line of sight. She headed outside a few seconds later, but because her legs stopped moving without her consent, she had no choice but to wait.

Perhaps it was due to her being electrocuted by Xurkitree, or maybe - just maybe - fate seized the wheel from Ashley that very moment. She didn't care about why her legs shut down right then and there, all she wanted was to regain control of them and crush Thomas in battle.

The young woman sighed. Next, she ground her teeth. Her eyes returned to Thomas as he stared out into the distance, though not at anything particular. Ashley could tell right away even though they were roughly a hundred feet away from each other, since she had a clear view of the Alolan's face.

He had bit his lip so hard that blood poured out of it and rolled down his face, ultimately exploding in every direction once a drop met the surface. That, however, wasn't what stood out to Ashley. There were many things about Thomas that could be described as plain. In fact, that was the first thing Ashley noticed when looking at him from inside the Pokemon Center.

 _Nothing about him stands out. He wears a hoodie and jeans, has shaggy hair, his skin is between pale and tan, and doesn't talk a lot. He's so... plain._

The young woman narrowed her eyes and made a disgusted face after looking over Thomas again.

 _He's so boring. Louise dyes her hair purple because she's a freak, the guy who's obsessed with dancing looks like a male model, and_ _I have gray eyes - yeah, they're fucking gray! Then there's the President of plain: Thomas. Even his name is boring!_

If she had the time, Ashley could've gone on about "the President of Plain" for at least an hour. But she didn't, so she couldn't. What ultimately squashed Ashley's potential hourlong roast wasn't her being able to use her legs or, surprisingly, anything Combusken did. No, the death of it was none other than the Alolan himself, or rather his eyes. And from the second Ashley saw them, she threw away all of the insults she came up with for Thomas mere moments ago.

Although his scowl seemed like a sign of anger, those calm, emerald eyes said something much different. They were hypnotizing. In all her life, Ashley had never seen anything like them - both the color and the message they sent - or been so... so fascinated that she lost the basic ability to move so much as a muscle.

"Hey!"

Ashley let out a shriek and jumped, snapping out of her hypnotized state. Her ears were assaulted by a deafening ring that lasted a good fifteen seconds before finally drifting away, never to be heard from again. Right after that, Ashley shifted her sights towards the obvious culprit: Combusken.

Her spirits were lifted, however, when he didn't greet her with his trademark smile, and then she heard him ask, "Are you okay, Ashley?

She acknowledged the inquiry with minimal effort, as she responded by barely nodding.

The very next second, Combusken flinched. He brought his hand to his face and felt the corners of his mouth were pulled up slightly, though they fell to their regular position right after. Without even realizing it, Combusken stopped himself from smiling.

He returned his attention to the battlefield in unison with Ashley, though, neither of them noticed as the automatic doors slid open. They kept quiet for all of two seconds, with Ashley breaking their joint silence the moment her foot hit the ground outside.

"There you are!" she shouted.

Somehow it took Thomas a longer time to turn around than it did for Ashley to walk ninety feet, and he even seemed to be caught off guard.

"What do you want?"

Ashley cracked the knuckles on her right hand.

As she did that, Combusken stared at her left arm - the one she tried so hard to lift on their way back to the Pokemon Center. It hadn't moved at all.

"A battle. Right now."

The worry in Combusken's eyes all but vanished. A battle, and with Thomas, no less, was the perfect opportunity for him to show his new and improved self not only to Ashley, but to his teammates as well. Plus, it was a great way for Ashley to take out all of her anger from the "talk" with Will.

"Fine. Let's go."

That was all he said as he made his way towards the nearest trainer box. His team followed him over there and sat on either side of him, which Ashley watched until she realized no one was refereeing.

Instead of searching for someone to do the job, she strolled over to the equipment shed behind her trainer box and retrieved a robotic referee. She saw Thomas' befuddled expression but didn't bother talking to him, though Combusken did just the opposite.

"Have you checked an equipment shed before?" he asked.

Thomas and his Pokemon, except Mimikyu, shook their heads.

Combusken ignored his scowling trainer and continued, saying, "Oh, well every Pokemon Center has one. There's all sorts of neat stuff to help with training!"

Grovyle and Thomas bowed, showing their appreciation, whereas Fletchling and Slowpoke engaged in a heated debate about some nonsensical topic. Mimikyu, meanwhile, looked over the friendly Fire type without a word, scowling at the obnoxious smile on his face.

All of a sudden, Thomas heard Ashley snapping her fingers on the side of the field, prompting him to turn towards her.

She asked, "You don't have any other Pokemon, do you?"

He shook his head, then watched Ashley set up the robot for a few seconds. Once she returned to her trainer box, where Combusken was waiting, the robotic referee turned on and drew the attention of Thomas and his team.

"This will be a four versus four battle between Ashley and Thomas, where both sides may substitute freely! The battle will be over when all Pokemon on either side are unable to continue! Now choose your first Pokemon!"

Ashley drew a Poke Ball from her belt and pressed the button in the middle, enlarging the device. Meanwhile, Thomas shifted his gaze from one Pokemon to the next, examining all four of them before he nodded at one in particular.

"Get out there, Rufflet!"

"Grovyle, you're up."

While Ashley released the eaglet from his Poke Ball, Grovyle hopped forward and onto the battlefield.

Then the robot raised its arms without prompting and spoke.

"This battle will be between Rufflet and Grovyle! Begin!"

"Rufflet, Hone Claws!"

The aforementioned Pokemon obeyed his trainer's order immediately, causing light to form around his talons which then extended. Orange specks of energy rose from the earth and disappeared when they reached Rufflet's head, indicating his attack-power and accuracy had increased.

Thomas took a second to think over his options before shouting, "Use Quick Attack!"

Grovyle reached the other end of the battlefield in the blink of an eye and lowered her shoulder. After slamming into Rufflet, who skidded past Ashley, Grovyle tumbled forward due to her momentum. Ashley noticed that and pounced on the opportunity to strike.

"Retaliate with Wing Attack!"

Rufflet flapped both of his wings, which began to glow white as he zipped towards Grovyle. Much to Ashley's dismay, Thomas countered in an instant.

"Jump out of the way and then use Double Kick!"

Grovyle did a backwards cartwheel and just barely evaded Rufflet's assault while her feet surged with light blue energy. She kicked Rufflet in the side of the head with her left leg and then followed that up with an equally devastating kick to the face with her right foot.

 _CRACK!_

The impact of the second blow rang in the air. Grovyle's eyes went wide when she saw blood dripping down her opponent's beak, though Rufflet shook off the pain. He turned his head to the side, spat blood, and wiped his beak clean without a second thought.

It was odd - despite kicking him in the face, Grovyle was more affected than Rufflet. The sight of blood made her freeze. She didn't even attempt to move when Ashley went on the offensive.

"Use Scary Face to slow her down, and then Aerial Ace!"

Rufflet shot a fearsome glare at Grovyle, causing a ring of blue light to spin around her for a few seconds. It disappeared, however, when Rufflet rammed into her headfirst as streaks of white light flew off his bloodied beak. Grovyle bounced along the ground until she crashed into the wall behind Thomas, who turned and quickly gave her an order.

"Grovyle, use Leer!"

Although she got up, the gecko was still rattled by what she had done to Rufflet so she didn't move.

Once again, Ashley seized the moment and shouted, "Use Aerial Ace again, Rufflet!"

Rufflet mimicked his trainer's aggressiveness, as he took off like a rocket and struck with reckless abandon. Just like the last time, Grovyle ended up against the wall and then on the ground, except instead of standing she held her stomach and gasped for air.

In less than a second, Thomas stepped onto the battlefield and waved his arms until he had the referee's attention.

"I'm withdrawing Grovyle."

Rufflet returned to Ashley's side and rubbed his beak, which caught Thomas' attention - unlike Slowpoke helping Grovyle to her feet.

The Alolan continued to watch Rufflet and stroke his chin. _Mimikyu can only use Scratch to attack and Slowpoke won't be able to take advantage of his injured beak, so it's up to him._

"Fletchling, you're up," Thomas said. He turned to the robin and then whispered, "Aim for his beak."

Fletchling saluted and said, "You got it, Boss."

With that, he flapped his wings and landed near the middle of the battlefield, grinning like an idiot.

Meanwhile, Ashley crouched and whispered, "Aim for his beak," to Rufflet. The eaglet nodded and then approached Fletchling, who was banging on his chest, and replied with a deadpan expression.

They both shot into the air without another word and locked eyes.

"This battle will be between Rufflet and Fletchling! Begin!"

"Fletchling, Double Team!"

Fletchling squawked as dozens of clones appeared all around Rufflet, though neither the eaglet nor his trainer were fazed in the slightest.

"Plow through them with Aerial Ace!" Ashley barked, punching her right fist upwards.

Rufflet shot forward and destroyed about fifteen of the clones before anyone could even blink. However, Thomas took a deep breath while all of the Fletchling tried to dodge by flying around, but they were far too slow.

"Use Agility to dodge and then Quick Attack!"

Ashley scowled as every single Fletchling suddenly became twice as fast, thus they were able to avoid being hit by Rufflet. In fact, they flew so fast Rufflet couldn't even keep track of them. Things only got worse when the flock of Fletchling attacked at near-light speed, but Rufflet suddenly countered with Aerial Ace and destroyed all of the clones. Both Pokemon locked eyes and zipped towards each other while their trainers issued new commands.

"Wing Attack!"

"Steel Wing!"

Fletchling and Rufflet violently swung their wings at the same time. They ultimately blocked each other's attacks and an explosion ensued, creating a massive cloud of smoke while both Pokemon were flung downwards. Everyone heard the thuds of Rufflet and Fletchling hitting the ground, but it was impossible to see either of them due to the smoke.

That didn't stop Ashley from making a move. "Hurry and use Aerial Ace!"

Luck must have been on her side because the smoke dissipated almost immediately after she spoke, and Rufflet smashed his head into Fletchling's beak. Somehow the latter didn't budge an inch, and then slammed his wings against the sides of Rufflet's face.

Ashley's smirk turned to a scowl while Thomas couldn't help but grin at the sudden turn of events.

"Peck! And don't stop!"

Fletchling reared his head back as his beak glowed white and extended before jabbing Rufflet a countless number of times, drawing pain-filled cries from the eaglet. After awhile, Fletchling felt a sharp pain in his beak which grew with each successful strike until, ultimately, he recoiled. Rufflet broke free of the robin's grasp and retreated, blood painted on his feathers.

Ashley opted to ignore his condition, and instead focused on Fletchling - who was still wincing - with a smirk.

 _Two moves is all I need to finish this._

"Rufflet, combine Hone Claws with Aerial Ace!"

"Spin and use Quick Attack and Peck!"

For the second time in their battle, Fletchling and Rufflet flew straight towards each other at mach speed. Ashley waited until the very last moment before she changed her initial command.

"Grab his beak!" she hollered. Rufflet spun out of the way and buried his talons into Fletchling's beak. "Use Wing Attack on it too!"

The eaglet swung his wings down like hammers, crushing his opponent's beak over and over again. Not once did Fletchling cry out in pain despite the force of each blow he took, which was something neither Ashley nor Rufflet noticed.

Suddenly, Thomas came to his Pokemon's rescue as he bellowed, "Flail!"

Ashley felt her jaw drop when crimson light twisted around Fletchling as he bashed his head against Rufflet's. The eaglet dropped to the ground limply with his eyes closed, prompting the robotic referee to wave its arms.

"Rufflet is unable to continue! Ashley, choose your next Pokemon!"

She zapped the eaglet back into his Poke Ball without a word, scowling at the sight of Fletchling celebrating with Thomas and the others. Combusken scowled, too, and shook his head.

 _That's what he gets for not training._

He cracked one eye open and looked at Ashley, who had drawn another Poke Ball from her belt and held it out in front of her chest, almost as if she was showing it to Thomas.

She shouted, "Get out there, Gyarados!"

A gigantic sea serpent materialized in a flash and let out a roar, which shook the ground. It drew the attention of all four of its opponents in a heartbeat, though only one of them - Grovyle - showed any sort of fear. Slowpoke smirked at Gyarados while Mimikyu just stared, and Fletchling flew back onto the battlefield while banging his chest.

"This battle will be between Gyarados and Fletchling! Begin!"

"Gyarados, Rain Dance!" Ashley barked.

Gyarados leaned his head back and shot an enormous ball of water towards the moon, or at least that's what it looked like to everyone else. Storm clouds suddenly formed around the ball of water, which proceeded to explode into millions of raindrops. Both trainers and all of the Pokemon were soaked by the torrential downpour while thunder cracked overhead.

Marveling at the pitch-black storm clouds until he felt the raindrops pelt him with increased force, Thomas returned his gaze to the battlefield and placed his hands in the pocket of his hoodie after putting the hood up. Then he stroked his chin a handful of times.

 _S_ _he boosted_ _the power of all Water-type attacks even though she knows I can switch Slowpoke in. What is she thinking?_

The moment that thought entered his mind, Thomas saw Ashley wearing a smug grin that grew once it'd been spotted.

 _She's hiding something. Why else would that look be on her face?_

Thomas and Ashley stared at each other in silence, engaging in mental warfare as the raindrops started falling even harder. Although her grin seemed like a sign of confidence, those cold, gray eyes said something much different. They were hypnotizing. In all his life, Thomas had never seen anything like them - both the color, or lack thereof, and the message they sent - or been so... so fascinated that he lost the basic ability to move so much as a muscle.

Neither Grovyle nor Mimikyu understood what was going on with their trainer, not that he himself did either, yet during the time they used to rack their brains in hopes of stumbling upon an answer they never once paid attention to their two other teammates.

For all that they lacked in critical thinking and, well, nearly every other cognitive ability, Fletchling and Slowpoke came to the rescue as they screamed, "HURRY UP!"

Thomas jumped at the sound of their voices, both exploding from no more than three feet away. And even though he wanted to ring their necks, he knew it was because of them that he was no longer mesmerized by Ashley's eyes.

Within a few seconds, he issued a command for Fletchling that caught everyone off guard, save for the aforementioned Pokemon.

"Use Growl!"

Fletchling's growl, which sounded more like an angry chirp, drowned out the sound of Thomas' voice and filled the air. A single ring of red light spun around Gyarados and disappeared shortly afterwards, a sight that allowed Thomas and Fletchling to breathe a little easier.

 _Gyarados are physical attackers, but another Growl or two will force a switch. Then I'll bring Slowpoke in until the rain stops._ Thomas managed to keep a straight face, fighting every fiber of his being that told him to do otherwise, but it didn't last long.

"That won't do a thing!" Ashley proclaimed. "Fire a Scald attack!"

The serpent moved almost exactly like he did before using Rain Dance as he loaded his head back and a ball of water formed in front of his mouth. That's where the similarities ended, however, as Gyarados aimed and fired a blistering hot blast of water at his target with a roar. The water was so hot that steam flew out of it, yet the water's slight drop in temperature didn't lessen its power.

Fletchling tried getting ready for the pain that was to come. A wave of oppressive heat smacked him in the face despite it being several yards away, and he turned to shield his face while Gyarados' Scald attack drew nearer. Right as the robin planted his feet the blast of water struck him in the side and pinned him against the wall behind Thomas.

He lost count of the feathers that, after basically being dunked in boiling water, fell off his right side. It wasn't because there were so many, it was because he felt all of the skin on the right half of his body begin to boil. Fletchling didn't attempt to free himself from being pinned to the wall, not even once, and when the wave of blistering-hot water finally petered out his limp body hit the ground.

Oddly enough, as he fought to keep his eyes open, Fletchling reflected on what had just happened as he lifted his wing. The searing pain had lasted for a second or so until it consumed itself like a fire, freeing him from his suffering.

"Fletchling is unable to continue! Thomas, choose your next Pokemon!"

As soon as the referee ended the match, orange orbs of light flew out of the ground and were seemingly absorbed into Gyarados' body. When they were, the aforementioned creature roared, causing everyone in the area to cover their ears.

Everyone but Thomas, that is. The Alolan sprinted to Fletchling's side and picked him up as delicately, yet quickly, as possible. He took off towards the Pokemon Center's doors and sprinted down the hallway. Not once did he look down at the burnt Pokemon in his arms, not even while handing him over to Nurse Joy, begging for emergency treatment.

Before Thomas knew it, he'd returned to the battlefield and had one foot in his trainer box. Everything that had just happened with Fletchling went by in a flash; he barely remembered what he was doing.

Although he couldn't see it himself, Thomas could tell the look on his face relayed that as well. The way Grovyle was focusing on him all but confirmed it, eliciting a sigh from the Alolan as he suddenly remembered his last words to Fletchling before handing him off to Nurse Joy.

 _"Thanks for battling as hard as you did. We will win for you."_

He wasn't going to break his promise.

Suddenly, Thomas said, "You're up, Slowpoke."

Slowpoke trotted onto the battlefield and swiped at the ground. She snarled at Gyarados, and he replied with a far more intimidating snarl.

The referee ignored the exchange and raised its arms.

"This battle will be between Gyarados and Slowpoke! Begin!"

"Slowpoke, Growl!"

The pink Pokemon lowered her head and snarled at Gyarados, who responded with a roar as while a red ring of light spun around him. It vanished in the blink of an eye, indicating Gyarados' attack stat had been lowered once again. Even so, Ashley immediately issued a command.

"Bite!"

Gyarados slithered across the battlefield and opened his mouth as wide as he could before lunging at Slowpoke. The massive serpent attempted to sink his teeth into her, but she dashed to her left and avoided the super-effective attack.

Thomas yelled, "Use Tackle and then run away!"

Slowpoke launched herself headfirst into Gyarados' face.

 _CRACK!_

Gyarados fell over and Slowpoke landed on her stomach at the same time, but the latter hurried to her feet and bolted towards the other end of the battlefield. Once she was halfway there, Gyarados rose while roaring.

"Get her into the air with Twister!" shouted Ashley, who lifted her arm towards the sky for emphasis.

The massive sea serpent swung his tail with a roar, creating a body of wind that looked more like a tornado than a twister.

Slowpoke glanced over her shoulder for a nanosecond before she slipped on the soaking-wet ground, tumbling like a wheel. To make matters worse, she didn't have any time to recover from her fall due to Twister's speed.

It swept Slowpoke off the ground, suspended her in mid-air, and then cut every inch of her body with blades of wind. To her distress, Slowpoke couldn't break free from Twister, and the throbbing pain of new cuts forming or old cuts deepening generated a shrill cry.

"Slowpoke!" screamed Thomas, his voice reeking of desperation. The Alolan reached his hand out despite her being on the opposite side of the battlefield, and then reality struck. He was powerless.

"Now use Thrash!"

Gyarados reared his tail back and clobbered Slowpoke, slinging her into the wall facing the Pokemon Center. After she fell with her eyes closed, everyone stared at the imprint of Slowpoke's body in wall.

"Slowpoke is unable to continue! Thomas, choose your next Pokemon!"

Similar to the end of the previous match, orange orbs of light rose from the ground and were seemingly absorbed into Gyarados' body. He roared even louder than before, causing everyone in the area to cover their ears yet again.

That is, everyone except Thomas. He bolted across the battlefield and Slowpoke battlefield was already inside the Pokemon Center.

Unlike when he took Fletchling for emergency treatment, Thomas didn't look at the injured Pokemon in his arms. He saw enough of the battle and could feel the lacerations on her back to have an idea of what she looked like. There was no reason for him to get a better view - especially when it was his fault.

Meanwhile, Myles and Gallade sat atop the Pokemon Center's roof, the latter shaking his head while the former crossed his arms and sighed.

"Jesus. This battle's brutal."

Gallade kept shaking his head. "Makes you wonder why Grovyle and Thomas tried to save her that night."

They sighed and leaned on the railing, their gazes drifting to the left. Ashley stood with her arms crossed and scanned the two Pokemon at the other end of the battlefield, Combusken stared straight up at the night sky, and Gyarados glanced back at his trainer every few seconds.

Neither Myles nor Gallade wasted another moment observing the young woman and her Pokemon, as they shook their heads in unison. They slowly turned the other way until they saw Grovyle and Mimikyu, causing Myles to put his hands over his mouth and snort while Gallade smiled and shook his head.

With her head hanging and eyes glued to the ground, Grovyle power walked as she twiddled her claws. She took ten paces and spun on her heels, then took another ten in the opposite direction before spinning around once again. Back and forth she went, pacing, muttering under her breath, and twiddling her claws faster with each passing second.

Then there was Mimikyu, who did one thing, and one thing only: study Ashley. His black, beady eyes only moved when she moved, but the rest of his body remained still as a statue. In fact, he had yet to _blink_.

 _In order to study a subject, one mustn't be detected._ _For if one is compromised, so too would the_ _prospects of future research opportunities._ _Only the gifted_ _gather sufficient data on a subject._

Mimikyu kept staring.

 _Subjects hold no value once all information is obtained, and they must be_ _disposed of._

Once Myles' snorts of laughter finally stopped coming, he stated, "It may look like they're within an arm's reach of each other, but they're really an ocean apart."

Said Gallade, "Thomas is the bridge connecting them."

The automatic doors to the Pokemon Center slid open, causing both Mimikyu's and Grovyle's heads to whip around. Thomas walked outside and towards the trainer box, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He refrained from looking at either of his Pokemon, or Ashley and her's, for that matter, until he finally stepped into the trainer box. Once there, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nostrils, unaware of Grovyle's and Mimikyu's stares.

Only after opening his eyes did Thomas hear, "They'll be okay. I'm sure of it,"

He flinched, turned to Grovyle, and flinched again when she began to smile. In the blink of an eye, however, Thomas cracked the tiniest smile anyone had ever seen and shifted his attention back to Ashley.

"Thanks, Grovyle."

Mimikyu remained silent during the brief exchange. Not once did he let Thomas out of his sight, even as his mind raced.

 _The idiot and the fat one have fallen, and the coward has sustained damage._ _What will you do next, Human?_

Thomas stroked his chin as he looked over Gyarados, and then Grovyle. He saw the wound on her stomach that had been caused by Rufflet's Aerial Ace. Then he glanced at Mimikyu, whose beady eyes were locked onto him.

"You're up."

 _Predictable, yet sensible. Well done, Human._

A simple nod was Mimikyu's response as he stepped forward. Two shadow-limbs appeared from underneath his cloth, and his eyes remained glued to Thomas until Gyarados let out another roar.

Once Mimikyu turned around and faced the sea serpent, the robotic referee raised its arms.

"This battle will be between Gyarados and Mimikyu! Begin!"

"Blow that thing away with Scald!"

"Double Team and Baby-Doll Eyes!"

Gyarados shot a blast boiling hot water from his mouth just as two dozen clones of Mimikyu flooded the battlefield. Then, every one of the cloth-wearing Pokemon made their eyes glow pink when Gyarados looked at them, causing a ring of red light to spin around his body.

"Twister, Gyarados!"

The aforementioned serpent swung his tail, creating a twisting body of wind. It rolled through five of Mimikyu's clones and closed in on the others, but Thomas was quick to counter.

"Use Shadow Sneak and then Shadow Claw!"

Mimikyu and his clones plunged into their shadows, disappearing from everyone's sight. Ashley and Gyarados searched for him all over the battlefield but failed to find any trace of him, both unaware of the shadows forming around Gyarados. Suddenly, twenty Mimikyu sprung out of the ground and swarmed Gyarados. Some slashed the sea serpent with their shadow-limbs while others latched onto him and attacked.

Ashley's eyes went wide and she threw her right arm forwards. "Shake them off with Thrash!"

"Don't let go, Mimikyu!" screamed Thomas.

In a matter of seconds, Gyarados successfully bucked nearly every Mimikyu off and they slammed into their fellow clones, causing them all to vanish. Only the real Mimikyu remained, though, much to Ashley's dismay, his arms were wrapped around Gyarados' neck. Even as the massive sea serpent thrashed and roared, Mimikyu didn't let go. In fact, he tightened his grip and began to choke Gyarados.

Ashley looked on, her jaw dropping at the sight. "How the hell is that thing hanging on?!"

Combusken shrugged.

"Shadow Claw!"

Mimikyu unwrapped one of his arms and slashed the back of Gyarados' head a few times, but when Gyarados continued to buck, he stopped attacking and instead went back to choking his opponent. Gyarados roared again, or at least he tried to - no sound followed. His face began to turn blue and his movements became weaker, less violent, even.

Gyarados stopped fighting, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell over. Mimikyu let go of Gyarados' neck and hopped off the unconscious Pokemon.

The referee raised its arms and marched onto the battlefield while Mimikyu strolled over to Thomas' side.

"Gyarados is unable to continue! Ashley, choose your next Pokemon!"

Ashley grabbed a Poke Ball off her belt and zapped the sea serpent back into it without a word; however, she stopped to look at Mimikyu and Grovyle. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the former, who hadn't taken any damage in his match with Gyarados.

 _He may not look it, but he's the strongest of the four._ Ashley crossed her arms and glanced at Combusken, pondering potential matchups until a smirk crept across her face.

She reached for another Poke Ball on her waist but froze when Mimikyu spun around and stared at her with his beady black eyes. Just one look into them was all it took for Ashley to shudder. They were lifeless. She snapped out of her daze, however, when her rival spoke.

"Are you able to keep going?" asked Thomas.

There wasn't a response from Mimikyu, but his trainer and teammate took him stepping onto the battlefield as a yes - and an emphatic one, at that. Not once did he take his eyes off of Ashley, even as she prepared to reveal her next combatant. She noticed as much, and after pausing briefly before her throw, she tossed the Poke Ball forward.

"Get out there, Metang!"

Emerging from the spherical device was the floating body of metal, Metang. It scanned its surroundings and then its opponent, Mimikyu, before punching at the air. The strange creature's appearance in battle drew a scowl from Thomas, and it even seemed to affect Mimikyu, to a degree.

 _How irritating. Contrary to that human's belief, mere type-matchups shan't assure her victory, for I, too, have an advantage._

 _Shit. Metang has high physical defense, and it can keep Mimikyu at a distance. I have to find a way to make this a close-quarters fight._

"This battle will be between Metang and Mimikyu! Begin!"

Both trainer and Pokemon were snapped out of their thoughts and acted right away.

"Mimikyu, use Double Team and Baby-Doll Eyes!"

Four clones of the cloth-wearing Pokemon appeared, two on each side of him, and all of their eyes began to glow pink at the same time. Nothing happened afterwards, leaving Thomas and Grovyle scratching their heads until the former realized what happened.

 _Metang's ability is Clear Body, so its stats can't be reduced._ Thomas inhaled slowly. _This whole time, she made it look like my plan couldn't be countered_ _so I wouldn't think of others._

Resisting the urge to smile after seeing the look on Thomas' face, Ashley cracked her knuckles. _I'm gonna squash him like a bug!_

"Tear through them, Metang! Confusion!"

Less than a second passed and yet Metang was already firing off Confusion attacks left and right. Mimikyu and his clones, however, spun, dove, and ducked out of the way of nearly every psychic blast, but the real one was hit at the last second.

Each of Metang, Combusken, and Ashley celebrated the minor victory, but when Mimikyu simply fixed his neck and looked to be unharmed, they all went quiet.

That brief lapse of judgement bought Thomas enough time to come up with a sufficient counterattack.

"Shadow Sneak! Hurry!" commanded the Alolan.

Mimikyu sunk into the ground and popped up beneath Metang just a second later. Purple aura flowed around Mimikyu's head as he slammed it against Metang, sending the floating hunk of metal straight upwards. He then plunged back into the ground, but unfortunately for him, Ashley noticed his tiny shadow speeding back to Thomas' half of the battlefield.

"So that's your secret," Ashley muttered. "Metang, follow that shadow and use Metal Claw!"

Metang reared both of its arms back as they were enveloped in silver energy. It descended towards Mimikyu's shadow and reached it within a second or so. When it did, Metang swung at the ground.

Thomas barked, "Block it with Shadow Claw!"

Ashley felt her eyes light up when Mimikyu jumped out of the ground, and he slashed at Metang with his shadow-arm. The second their attacks collided Metang swung its other arm and clobbered Mimikyu. Orange particles of light surrounded the floating hunk of metal, indicating its attack increased. Mimikyu, on the other hand, nearly fell over right after he stood up.

Grovyle turned to Thomas right away and saw him biting his lower lip. He even removed his hands from the front pocket of his hoodie and tried to call for Mimikyu's attention, but the sound of Ashley's voice grabbed his attention.

"Reflect!"

Thomas' eyes lit up. "Mimic!"

Both Pokemon obeyed their commands, as Metang extended its arms forward to create a wall of energy and Mimikyu did the same.

"Use Bullet Punch at max speed!"

Metang shot forward and reached Mimikyu in the blink of an eye, punching him square in the face as its fist surged with silver energy. Mimikyu flipped through the air and landed on his back. He lifted his head off the ground and saw Metang closing in, ready to land another wicked blow.

"Hide by using Shadow Sneak!"

Thomas slouched over and sighed when Mimikyu disappeared underground, evading Metang's fist by the narrowest of margins. Unfortunately, Ashley tracked Mimikyu's movements and pointed at the moving shadow.

She yelled, "Fire your Confusion attack in bursts all over the battlefield!"

After its eyes turned bright red, Metang shot quick bursts of psychic energy all over the battlefield. A cloud of dust formed rapidly, and while Thomas and Ashley waited for it to clear one of the Confusion attacks hit Mimikyu. Because he didn't make a sound it was impossible for anyone to tell, so when the dust settled and Thomas noticed his Pokemon was in position to attack, he didn't hesitate to act.

"Now's your chance, Mimikyu! Shadow Claw!"

Once again, Mimikyu sprung out of the ground, only this time he clobbered Metang over the head with a heavy fist. The floating hunk of metal hit the ground, prompting Mimikyu to lunge forward and go for another blow.

"Metal Claw, Metang!"

Somehow, Metang spun around and blocked the Shadow Claw attack with one arm while charging its own Metal Claw attack with the other. It cracked Mimikyu in the face and sent him across the battlefield, knocking him out cold in the process. Once the cloth-wearing Pokemon landed on his back, the referee raised both of its arms and stepped forward.

"Mimikyu is unable to continue! Thomas, choose your final Pokemon!"

Thomas jogged over to Mimikyu and picked him up with a slight smile, saying, "You did really well. Thanks for your effort." He zapped Mimikyu back inside his Poke Ball without another word.

Meanwhile, Ashley nodded at Metang and then withdrew it. Both she and Thomas looked at the Pokemon by their respective sides - Combusken and Grovyle - and then at each other.

"Get out there, Combusken!"

"You're up, Grovyle."

As soon as their trainers spoke, Combusken and Grovyle walked towards the middle of the battlefield, matching each other stride for stride. Neither of them spoke, nor did they break eye contact even when they stood face to face, separated by less than an inch.

And then the referee broke the silence.

"This battle will be between Combusken and Grovyle! Begin!"

"Use Double Team to form a circle around him!" Thomas shouted right away.

Grovyle pressed her hands together, causing fifteen clones to appear and form a circle around Combusken, who glanced in every direction. He bent his knees and his eyes darted from side to side as the sixteen Grovyle walked towards him. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead, and his heart began to race.

But then Ashley spoke. "Bulk Up, and don't move."

Combusken glanced back at the girl and eventually nodded. Then, he took a deep breath and flexed as red aura appeared around his body.

The second he saw what was happening Thomas threw his arm forward.

"Not happening! Grovyle, Quick Attack!"

Every one of the aforementioned geckos bolted towards Combusken as the aura began to fade. Rays of white light trailed Grovyle and her clones as they closed in on their target, but they didn't reach him in time.

"Protect."

A green bubble instantly formed from the ground and encapsulated Combusken. All of the Grovyle, meanwhile, slammed into it face-first. They stumbled back and rubbed their heads while inspecting the shield, as did Thomas.

When the Alolan's eyes suddenly lit up, Grovyle returned her attention to Combusken with a grin.

"Half of you, don't stop firing with Bullet Seed! Everyone else, circle the bubble with Quick Attack and use Leaf Blade when it drops!"

Eight Grovyle shot solar bullets from their mouths while the other eight ran around them at mach speed. They moved so fast that the trails of light they left formed a white ring, and while the leaves on their forearms extended into bright green blades, the others kept up their assault on the shield.

Inside the shield, Combusken began to hop in place, alternating feet as crimson aura emanated from his legs. Ashley noticed the strange energy and, after looking at the Macho Brace on Combusken's arm, cracked her knuckles.

 _He's back to normal speed and has double the attack power, plus boosted defense. This battle's over._

Her train of thought was derailed when Protect deactivated and Combusken was pelted by a barrage of solar bullets. Then the other eight Grovyle slashed him with repeated Leaf Blade attacks, but Combusken just stood there and took them. They didn't seem to do much, if any, damage, prompting the eight Grovyle to jump back.

"Combusken, use Aerial Ace to deflect the Bullet Seed attacks!"

Light blue energy enveloped both of Combusken's arms before he swung them rapidly, sending each and every solar bullet back at the Grovyle clones that had fired them - and at twice the speed.

They dispersed immediately, leaving just seven clones and the real Grovyle standing around the edge of the battlefield. Their jaws dropped at the sight, as did Thomas', but Ashley didn't give them any time to relax.

"Now rush at the rest of them with Flame Charge!"

Bright red flames suddenly swallowed Combusken whole, but they didn't seem to hurt him at all. He took off at light speed and plowed through the seven remaining clones before he lowered his shoulder and decked Grovyle.

She bounced against the ground like a rock skipping a pond, but she managed to plant her feet and hopped up instead of bouncing again. After doing so, Grovyle watched a ring of orange light spin around Combusken, who delivered a flurry of kicks with one leg in a nanosecond.

"Ho-ly shit," Gallade said as he threw his hands up. "Hey, maybe we should think about picking those two as our successors instead."

Myles didn't respond, and Gallade piped down immediately.

"Double Kick!" Thomas and Ashley screamed. Their voices, equal in both intensity and volume, cancelled each other out after a brief fight for dominance.

Similarly, Grovyle and Combusken engaged in an epic clash of their own, as they wildly swung their legs at each other. Every time it looked like one of them was about to land a brutal kick it'd be blocked with an equally punishing kick, and that went on for about ten seconds until Combusken suddenly did a backwards cartwheel to avoid being kicked in the face. While he was upside down, hands planted on the ground, Combusken locked both of his legs around Grovyle's right one.

 _Wha-_

Before the gecko could even begin to think, she flipped through the air and, upon impact with the ground, a flash of pain spread across her entire back. Grovyle rolled over and winced immediately after placing a hand near her tailbone, though she still got back on her feet in just a handful of seconds, albeit with yet another wince.

Thomas saw that but didn't say a word, which, unbeknownst to Ashley, benefitted both himself and Grovyle - he needed to devise a new strategy, and she needed to catch her breath. Seconds later, Grovyle glanced back at Thomas to signal she was ready, but her eyes were drawn to him as he pointed at his head several times.

Grovyle winked with her left eye, which was impossible to see from Ashley's view, and then raced towards her opponent while readying a Leaf Blade attack.

She aimed for Combusken's stomach and slashed it as she swung her left arm clockwise. A mighty spin-kick to the side of his head followed, and then Grovyle yanked him back her way by his arm. Her legs began to glow light blue right before she kicked him in the gut with her left foot.

Not a sound came from Combusken, who grabbed his stomach and slouched over as he fell to his knees wheezing for air like a fish out of water. Despite his vision being limited by his whole upper-body being parallel to the ground, Combusken heard footsteps approaching him. He loaded his right arm back, ready to swing at who he presumed to be Grovyle as the footsteps grew louder.

Ashley screamed until she was red in the face, "What the fuck are you doing?! GET UP!"

Instead of acknowledging the belligerent trainer, Combusken closed his eyes and pushed his good hand against the ground to propel himself into a squatting position. He inhaled slowly before leaning forward and exhaling.

 _CRACK!_

Grovyle's right foot connected with Combusken's chin.

Combusken only saw darkness until his feet left the ground, but because he flipped through the air and, unfortunately, landed on his face in less than three seconds, everything he saw afterwards was one huge blur.

 _Oh gosh, my chin broke like my arm._

The Fire type grunted through clenched teeth, but his body failed to respond no matter how hard he tried moving. Despite not having seen it happen, Combusken knew Grovyle had kicked him like a football. Blood oozed out of his chin, forming a puddle around his face as he remained face down.

 _At least I used Ember in time._ Combusken grinned as he pictured himself shooting the bullets of fire a nanosecond before being kicked.

Meanwhile, right after following through on the kick, Grovyle spun around with a smile and approached Thomas. She was pressing her right arm against her hip and grimaced after it flared up. Then she screamed in agony.

"It feels like my arm's on fire!" she screeched.

The skin on her arm was bright red and looked like it had been severely burned. Thomas covered his eyes and turned away from Grovyle, who screamed a second time as she felt a boiling sensation rush across her arm.

"If you're in that much pain, we should go to Nurse Joy right now," Thomas said, still refusing to look at the nasty burns.

"N-no," Grovyle stammered while grimacing. "Not until the battle's over."

She peeked over her shoulder and, as if on cue, Combusken pressed his hands against the ground again. His entire body shook and he breathed heavily. Just trying to stand up was laborious, though once he did, Combusken laughed to himself and eyed Grovyle.

 _That's not gonna knock me out. No way._

As both Pokemon engaged in a silent staring contest, Myles and Gallade looked at each other. Neither of them spoke - they couldn't. The gruesome burns on Grovyle's arm and the blood pouring out of Combusken left them speechless.

"Use Aerial Ace!"

"Counter with Leaf Blade!"

Grovyle and Combusken sped forwards. The leaves on Grovyle's forearms turned into single blades of light green energy while Combusken's arms began to glow light blue, and they swung at each other. Sparks of green and blue light flew in the air when their attacks collided, and when Combusken tried to hit Grovyle directly over her head, she blocked his hand with her right arm.

Her face twisted in anguish as the bones in her arm were crushed underneath the force of Combusken's first punch, yet even as she was slugged in the jaw by his second punch, Grovyle delivered a mighty kick to Combusken's face.

They were sent flying in opposite directions, though Combusken landed on his feet while Grovyle held her now-broken arm and writhed on the ground.

Despite seeing the condition his Pokemon was in, Thomas didn't call off the battle - not after he received a death stare from Grovyle. He watched her stand up, arm dangling at her side, and turned away.

 _Why is she pushing herself so far?_

"Combusken, use Bulk Up!"

While the aforementioned Fire type boosted his physical attack and defense, Thomas searched for an answer - any answer. While doing so, his gaze drifted towards Grovyle.

He recoiled.

What managed to shock Thomas out of his thoughts was Grovyle's arm and how it flopped in the wind like a noodle - a telltale sign that any number of the bones were broken. That gave Thomas nothing more than an _idea_ of how severe her injury truly was.

Similar to Thomas, Ashley could look at the limb for only a second or two before she had to turn away. Even then she couldn't stop her stomach from twisting, nor could she erase the image of the shattered limb from her mind.

 _Why is she pushing herself so far?_

Only Grovyle knew.

Most, if not all, of the bones in her arm were shattered. She was effectively fighting someone stronger and faster than her with one hand, but that didn't dull her spirit. In fact, it did the opposite.

 _I can't give up, not after watching everyone_ _fall._

"Use Flame Charge to run, and then attack with Aerial Ace!"

A ring of fire spun on the ground around Combusken, climbing from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. Once both of his arms began to surge with light blue energy Combusken zoomed across the battlefield.

 _I won't go back to being my old self, relying on everyone to protect me._

"Do the same with Quick Attack and Double Kick!" cried Thomas.

Then, he did the only thing he could do after issuing the command: wait and see if Grovyle would follow his orders - or even be able to.

She bent her knees, placed her left hand on the ground, and took a deep breath as Combusken approached.

 _No matter what it takes, I will win!_

Grovyle felt her eyes shoot open on their own as she exploded from her defensive lineman-like stance, a raging fire suddenly burning in her eyes. Not only did Grovyle triple Combusken's speed, thus closing the distance between themselves in an instant, but she also kneed him in the thigh.

He lost all feeling in his left leg and dropped to a knee, drawing Grovyle in. The second Grovyle's foot hit the ground, Combusken sprung up and swung at her ribs with his left leg.

She hurdled the surprise attack and spun like a wheel as her legs were shrouded in blue energy, eliciting gasps from everyone. Unfortunately for Combusken, the momentum from his missed kick left him defenseless.

Grovyle made him pay dearly as she smashed one of her heels against his left arm, and the other against his left hand.

Combusken screamed at the top of his lungs as his bones snapped like twigs, yet the explosion of pain wasn't enough to keep him down.

As he soon as he pushed himself off the ground, Combusken kicked Grovyle in the stomach; however, she managed to punch him in the face. Blood shot out Combusken's nose and Grovyle's mouth as they stumbled around like a pair of drunks, the former holding his broken nose and the latter holding her cracked ribs.

Neither Ashley nor Thomas issued a command, let alone said a word, as the Pokemon traded blows on their own. Countless punches and kicks left them covered in bruises and blood, and every time it looked like one of them was about to keel over they'd get back up, albeit slower than a sloth.

 _I can't let everyone down! I have to prove I'm not weak anymore!_

 _I need to win. If I want to protect Ashley, I can't lose to anyone!_

Myles and Gallade watched as both Pokemon took over a minute to stand up, and when they did, they were slouched over with their arms hanging limply at their sides. Blood continued to trickle down Combusken's face and out of Grovyle's mouth, forming tiny puddles by their feet. They stared at each other for a few seconds before looking over their shoulders and nodding at their respective trainers.

Seeing the condition their Pokemon were in, neither Ashley nor Thomas could muster up a response.

Combusken's yellow feathers were stained red, his left arm looked almost like rubber, and there were cuts scattered across his entire body.

Grovyle's mouth was stained red, her right arm looked almost like rubber while the skin on it was charred black and swollen, and her right ribcage was covered in contusions.

When they turned back around and locked eyes, the two Pokemon unleashed one final burst of energy and sprinted towards each other. In the brief window of time between their first and last steps forward, Grovyle and Combusken charged up Leaf Blade and Aerial Ace, respectively.

Grovyle hurled her right arm while Combusken countered with his left. The attacks blocked each other and an explosion followed in an instant. A massive cloud of thick, black smoke swept over the battlefield, essentially blinding Thomas and Ashley.

Much to their surprise, it didn't take long for the smoke to clear out. When it did they were left staring slack-jawed, at least until Thomas bolted onto the battlefield.

Grovyle had fallen on her side. She was breathing, but her eyes were closed and she didn't react to Thomas cradling her in his arms. The thought of returning her to her Poke Ball never crossed his mind as he scooped her up and sprinted into the Pokemon Center without a word.

Combusken, on the other hand, was still standing. Unlike Thomas, he froze the second he saw Grovyle and remained still even after the Alolan went into the Pokemon Center.

"Grovyle is unable to continue! That means Ashley wins!"

Ashley remained still and stared at Combusken's back until, finally, her body acted on its own. She walked up to her Pokemon and placed a hand on his shoulder, unaware of the horrified expression on his face.

"Good job, Combusken."

* * *

 **Damn, that has to be as bad a loss as any.  
** **Say what you will about Ashley, she is clearly the superior trainer. From the training regimens she put together for each member of her team to outsmarting Tom, there are a several reasons she dominated the battle - but most importantly, her methods get results.** **  
** **Next chapter will focus on how Thomas handles his loss to Ashley, and then Myles will help him cope with learning of the injuries each Pokemon suffered.  
** **Till then, peace out.**

 **1\. Who were you most impressed with on Ashley's and Thomas' teams?  
**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "Scars of Past and Present**_ ** _"_**

 ** _Thomas learns of the injuries each of his Pokemon suffered during their battle against Ashley, and with it comes an unshakable feeling of_** ** _guilt_** ** _. Myles takes the opportunity to ask about the battle and why it has Thomas so shaken, prompting him to talk about his past. Can Myles help Thomas overcome his guilt? What will Thomas talk about from his past, and how much detail will he go into?_**

* * *

 **Burst Arc: Fortree City**

 **Chapter 29: No Quick Fix  
** **Chapter 30: Price to Pay  
Chapter 31: The Worthless Circus Act** **  
Chapter 32:** **Burst Training Blues  
** **Chapter 33: Eye on the Sky  
** **Chapter 34: Brothers in Arms  
** **Chapter 35: Rain or Shine  
** **Chapter 36:** **Flock and Roll** **  
Chapter 37: Birds of a Feather  
** **Chapter 38: Cloudy with a Chance  
Chapter 39: Claim to Fame  
Chapter 40: Root Problem**


	28. Scars of Past and Present

**What's going on, everyone? It's taken a while, but the Bonds Arc is finally coming to a close. Last chapter featured Thomas and Ashley having their first battle, which the latter won. Many of the Pokemon sustained critical injuries, and that will be an important part of this chapter.  
Speaking of which, this chapter is going to focus on Thomas, and how he handles the aftermath of his battle with Ashley.  
Now let's get going!**

 **Rales Mckoy:** _Great to hear it met your expectations._ _This won't be the only time a battle will lead to serious injuries, and you're right about Tom and the team needing to learn more before they battle Ashley again. The bit where Tom and Ashley observed each other were a lot of fun to write, so I'm glad you liked it._

 **BouncingFish:** _I figured someone would make a joke like that, lol. I'm glad the descriptions for the Grovyle/Combusken battle made the injuries easier to imagine, because that was why it took so long to post. The battle-induced injuries idea was actually something I took from your story, "Sunday Morning," and it'll be used in the future. Ashley and Thomas are very similar (like you said), yet they're also very different, which is always entertaining to write about. Thanks!_

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Thanks! Fletchling's injuries are a major subplot in Fortree, and you're right about them being nothing compared to Grovyle's and Combusken's. In regards to Mimikyu, I think he's easily the strongest on the team and would've given Combusken a run for his money had they battled - or he would've taken down several Pokemon on someone else's team. Thomas and Ashley are very similar, yet very different at the same time, and you'll see more of that in the future._

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Much appreciated, sir. Quite a few future battles will be similar to last chapter's, yet pretty different at the same time. I like the prediction about Ashley's team, but you'll be surprised about how things turn out between it and her (Ashley). As for your assessments of each combatant, I agree with all of them except Grovyle - to an extent. She was much more impressive than either Fletchling or Slowpoke given the damage she did to Rufflet, and then how she went toe-to-toe with Combusken despite being hurt (by Rufflet), plus the type-disadvantage. Thanks for the review!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (f), level 24:** **Leaf Blade, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain, *Double Team, *Double Kick** **  
Fletchling, (m), level 22: Roost, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, *Steel Wing, *Agility  
Slowpoke, (f), level 21: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, *Water Gun, *Confusion  
Mimikyu, (m), level 23: Mimic, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, *Shadow Sneak, *Shadow Claw**

* * *

All sorts of sounds filled the air: never-ending streams of wailing sirens, people talking or laughing amongst themselves, and wild Pokemon communicating with one another, to name a few. Lost in the sea of other, more prominent sounds was Thomas writing notes all by his lonesome.

He sat outside the Pokemon Center hunched over and scribbled who-knows-what in his journal. His arm jerked around as he ignored the lines on the page, instead writing wherever he pleased. Once the young man had emptied his mind and finished writing, he stared at the illegible words. His eyes looked lifeless.

All of the note-taking he'd done just then, and every day before, proved to be useless - that was the only thing he took away from his battle earlier in the night. The notebook fell from his hand, landing so that the pages were pressed against the ground. As far as he was concerned, the contents inside were nothing more than garbage.

Still, he couldn't help but bend over and pick up the notebook. Nearly every page was filled with words and diagrams. He dusted off the pages that had made contact with the ground and placed the notebook in his backpack, sighing as he leaned back and looked up at the moon.

"You appear to be quite disconsolate again."

"Jesus Christ!" Thomas jumped up from the bench and saw Mimikyu standing a few feet away. "What are you- I mean, how are you up and moving?"

"You grossly overestimated my injuries. The medical woman concluded they were no more than contusions."

"That's it, huh?"

"That it is, indeed."

Thomas returned to his seat on the bench, looked up at the moon once again, and moved his backpack to make space for Mimikyu.

The cloth-wearing Pokemon didn't move.

"You appear to be quite disconsolate again," he said a second time, eliciting a grunt from Thomas. "For what reason?"

Thomas immediately looked away from the moon and stared at Mimikyu.

Mimikyu responded with a stare of his own.

"Are you serious?"

"Are _you_?"

He had a point. When _wasn't_ he serious?

Thomas shook his head and went back to gazing at the moon. "Never mind. I don't want to talk about it," he stated, crossing his arms.

 _Getting defensive, are we, Human?_ Mimikyu smirked. He read Thomas' body language like a book, though given the circumstances, it wasn't impressive. It was rare for Thomas to show his feelings in any way.

"While their roads to recovery will prove arduous, take some solace in knowing they won't perish."

Mimikyu tapped his Poke Ball, which was on Thomas' belt, and disappeared inside it before he could see the young man's reaction.

And just like that, Thomas was alone. Again.

It was unnerving, yet also calming. On one hand, it was a result of three of his Pokemon suffering brutal injuries; on the other, he was free to do whatever he pleased without anyone seeing or judging him - or so he thought.

Myles and Gallade were still perched atop the roof of the Pokemon Center and each watched the young man like a hawk.

Unaware of their presence, Thomas leaned forward and rested his chin on interlocked his fingers. Only then did he replay his conversation with doctor who tended to each Pokemon after their battle.

Thomas twiddled his fingers while waiting in the hospital-wing of the Pokemon Center along with a handful of strangers. The thought of letting Louise know where he was never crossed his mind as he sat there by himself.

Suddenly, the doors by the receptionist's desk swung open and a young woman in scrubs walked through.

"Mister Brooks?" she called, scanning the half-dozen faces until Thomas raised his hand and stood up. "Do you have a moment?"

Thomas followed her through the doors and into the nearest room. His heart pounded each step of the way until he sat in a chair that leaned against the right wall.

Shortly thereafter, the doctor spoke with a cheery smile.

"Mister Brooks, you'll be glad to know we've treated Slowpoke's injuries, so she should be as good as new in no time!" she said.

Thomas placed his hand over his chest and exhaled deeply.

The doctor issued a convincing fake laugh. "What's more, I expect Mimikyu to be back in battling shape within a week."

"That's a relief."

She nodded in response, but her smile disappeared when she stopped nodding. With the extreme shift in tone came a darker, more ominous mood that caused Thomas to flinch.

"Fletchling suffered third-degree burns to his right wing that may permanently affect his ability to fly. Fortunately, he can avoid that by strengthening the muscles in his wing once it's completely healed."

As Thomas' blank expression indicated, it took some time for the news to sink in. The doctor watched Thomas stare into space for awhile before he suddenly nodded at her as if that was her cue to speak.

She opened her mouth but didn't make a sound. Then she closed it, took a deep breath, and locked eyes with Thomas.

"What about Grovyle?"

The doctor bit her lower lip and took another deep breath.

"Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay."

"Grovyle cracked a few ribs, but that's not a concern because they will heal in two or three weeks. Her arm, however, sustained third-degree burns and nearly every bone in it was shattered."

"What does that mean? She'll be okay, right?"

A pained expression appeared on the doctor's face as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Mister Brooks. We did everything in our power, but we couldn't save her arm."

Thomas didn't remember anything that followed the bombshell so he returned to the present.

 _How did I let that happen?_

He felt his heart drop into his stomach.

 _Why am I so weak?_

His eyes began to water.

 _Nothing's changed since then._

A single tear rolled down Thomas's cheek.

At that very moment, Gallade grabbed Myles by the arm and they teleported from the roof to the ground. The emaciated man didn't miss a beat as he immediately approached Thomas and sat down next to him.

"If you're here to ask me to reconsider, you're wasting your time."

Myles chuckled, and Gallade did too as he walked towards the bench.

"To be honest, that _was_ why we came here."

Both Thomas and Myles flinched. While the former raised his eyebrows, the latter responded with a death stare.

Gallade ignored his friend in favor of maintaining eye-contact with Thomas, who ultimately shook his head and shrugged as he was at a loss for words.

"But after watching that battle, we wanted to see if you were okay."

Added Myles, "And if everyone else is, too."

They smiled in unison, but only for a fraction of second as they noticed Thomas' gaze had already returned the ground. From his lack of a response they were able to deduce that the Pokemon were obviously _not_ "okay," and that he was distraught because of the fact.

"Sorry for-"

"No one died," Thomas interjected, his head still hanging. "They just..."

His voice trailed off before he could inform Myles and Gallade of the injuries each Pokemon sustained, so he looked up and tried to tell them a second time.

"They were injured really badly. And it's my fault."

Gallade and Myles turned towards each other with matching expressions. That couldn't have been the same person who refused to answer their questions in complete honesty earlier, could it?

It didn't take them long to regain their composure as Gallade walked over to Thomas and stated, "No it isn't."

The aforementioned trainer slowly lifted his head until he locked eyes with Gallade.

"Don't blame yourself for things that are out of your control."

"That's right. You couldn't have done anything to change the outcome."

Thomas shook his head vehemently. "I could've trained them more. Or come up with a better strategy. Or said no to battling."

Before either of his elder's had a chance to respond, he proclaimed, "This never would've happened if I did even one of those things."

Myles placed his hand on Thomas' shoulder.

"Look, kid. You can play mental gymnastics all you want, but the reality is you're not at fault. Accept it, learn from it, and make sure it never happens again."

With that, Myles lifted his hand off Thomas' shoulder and began to walk away. Gallade caught up to the emaciated man in no time, but then he looked back at Thomas and stopped.

Myles, who'd closed his eyes mid-stroll, opened one and peaked at Gallade for a fraction of a second. He sighed.

 _Maybe that was a bit harsh. But what the hell else can I-_

"You want to protect them, right?" asked Gallade, derailing Myles' train of thought. The Pokemon waited for Thomas to face him, and when the aforementioned trainer did, Gallade continued. "Because of the Ultra Beast attack."

Thomas clenched his fists until both of his arms were shaking. If that wasn't a yes, then Gallade didn't know what was.

Myles shot his friend a confused glance, but he was ignored.

"Accept our offer."

Thomas and Myles recoiled and stared at Gallade in unison, both slack-jawed.

"Inherit our power, and you'll be able to protect them from anything." Gallade watched Thomas divert his attention to the ground, and he crossed his arms. "That's what you want, isn't it?"

Ultimately, the young man nodded.

 _Oh, you slick bastard!_ Myles continued to stare at Gallade, not knowing whether to be happy about his persuasiveness or terrified of it.

He sighed once again, spun around to face Thomas, and approached him. "Here," he said, placing the same, colorless Burst Heart from earlier in Thomas' hand. "So, what's your goal in life."

Suddenly, Thomas closed his hand and locked eyes with both Gallade and Myles.

"I'm going to..."

The expression on his face was a mixture of apprehension and embarrassment, but it faded when he took a deep breath.

"I'm going to protect everyone from the Ultra Beasts."

Dark aura emanated from the Burst Heart, drawing Myles' and Gallade's attention. Like the red light that shone from Grovyle's earlier in the night, the amount of black aura was overwhelming.

"Why?"

Thomas didn't hesitate to answer. "I watched them kill people after they destroyed my hometown, and I couldn't stop them."

The aura started to consume Thomas' arm.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else, no matter what."

* * *

 **At long last the Bonds Arc has reached its conclusion, and with that comes the Burst Arc.  
This time around, Tom agreed to become Myles' successor and kinda-sorta revealed some of his past to Myles and Gallade. He also found out about each Pokemon's injuries: both Mimikyu and Slowpoke are fine, though Fletchling** **may or may not recover from his burns. Then there's Grovyle, who had her arm amputated. Suffice it to say, she won't battle for quite some time.  
** **Next chapter will focus on Thomas trying to make up for the injuries by balancing the power in his relationships with the team, and Louise coming to a realization.  
** **Till then, peace out.**

 **1\. Which aspects of the story need the most improvement? I've focused on development and pacing to this point, so hopefully those aren't mentioned :P  
** **2\. Who is/are your favorite character(s), and why? Who is/are your least favorite, and why?  
** **3\. What was your favorite moment of the Bonds Arc?** **  
4\. Was there anything missing from this arc that you want to see in the next?**

* * *

 ** _Next Chapter: "No Quick Fix_** ** _"_**

 _ **Thomas gathers the team and establishes a new rule that has a ripple effect on his relationship with each member. How profound of an impact will this sudden balance of power have? And what purpose does it serve?  
**_ ** _Later, Louise_** ** _and Gengar butt heads over whether or not they should continue traveling with Thomas. Can Louise change her team's view on the matter, or will she ultimately concede and leave Thomas?_**

* * *

 **Burst Arc: Fortree City**

 **Chapter 30: Price to Pay  
Chapter 31: The Worthless Circus Act** **  
Chapter 32:** **Burst Training Blues  
** **Chapter 33: Eye on the Sky  
** **Chapter 34: Brothers in Arms  
** **Chapter 35: Rain or Shine  
** **Chapter 36:** **Flock and Roll** **  
Chapter 37: Birds of a Feather  
** **Chapter 38: Cloudy with a Chance  
Chapter 39: Root Problem  
**


	29. No Quick Fix

**How's it going, everyone? I hope y'all** **are doing well, because why wouldn't I?** **Anyhow, last chapter was quite a bit shorter than usual and focused on the aftermath of Thomas and Ashley's battle. While Fletchling sustained major burns to his wing that could** **affect his flying permanently, depending on how his rehab goes, Grovyle wasn't as fortunate and had her arm amputated. Additionally, Thomas accepted Myles' offer of learning how to use Burst Evolution.  
This chapter will focus on decisions Thomas and Louise make as they look ahead to their respective futures, plus a few interesting developments between the members of Tom's team.  
Now let's get going!**

 **The Phantom Starfish:** _Thanks! I thought last chapter was going to be 3k/4k words longer, but I like how it turned out. Although Fletchling's and Grovyle's injuries are sure to affect them in battle, there will be more attention given to the psychological effects. Unfortunately (or not), Ashley should remain your least favorite character for the time being. And expect to see a few battles for Mimikyu during Fortree._

 **ShadowDragon9000:** _You're right; those lyrics are relevant to the chapter. Going off what you said, not only does the loss in manpower affect the Pokemon, but it also affects Thomas as both a trainer and person. You're right (again) about Mimikyu carrying the load in battles and Thomas rarely show any emotions, both of which support Fortree's main sub-plots. Random: Gallade would be a fantastic salesman. I think your distaste (for lack of a better word) for Azul and Slowpoke is coming to an end, though I could be wrong. Thanks for the review & feedback!_

 **dragonplayer18:** _Nice_ _to hear from you again. Grovyle's steady growth in confidence may come to a halt due to losing her arm; Fletchling will be in the spotlight for a portion of Fortree, so look forward to that; Slowpoke... lol; and Mimikyu will eventually get into some shenanigans that reveal more about him and why he thinks/acts the way he does. Ashley's disdain for Thomas is irrational, and you'll learn why in the future._

 **Warrior of Hope:** _Myles and_ _Tom will have an odd relationship, though I won't say how as it'll ruin the "surprise." As for Mimikyu's and Combusken's popularity, it's funny to see them trending in opposite directions and from where they first started. I understand the issue with battles being predictable - the Gyms were spoiled, the first battle is always a loss, and Ashley was the favorite for a reason. Oddly enough, I focused so much on character and plot development that I forgot about making the results unpredictable. It's certainly something I'll pay attention to from now on. What's great to see is that each character on your least favorite list will receive a lot more attention during the Burst Arc (Aiden won't for a while, though), so that should change dramatically. There'll be A LOT of focus on Ashley later in the arc, as wellThanks for the review & feedback!_

 **Thomas' Team**

 **Grovyle, (F), Level 24:** **Leaf Blade, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack, Mega Drain, *Double Team, *Double Kick** **  
Fletchling, (M), Level 22: Roost, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, *Steel Wing, *Agility  
Slowpoke, (F), Level 21: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, *Water Gun, *Confusion  
Mimikyu, (M), Level 23: Mimic, Scratch, Double Team, Baby-Doll Eyes, *Shadow Sneak, *Shadow Claw**

* * *

 _"Hey! Fle... hang in... be okay!"_

 _Boss, is dat you? Da hell's ya tryin' ta say?_

 _"Get thi... in critical cond... Hurry!"_

 _Dat ain't Boss, dat's da noyse wit da pink hayah. Da fuck's goin' on?_

 _"We will win for you."_

All of a sudden, Fletchling felt his eyes open. He shot up and looked at his surroundings as the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor rang in his ears. Although Fletchling didn't see anyone in the room, it was clear someone saw him when they screamed his name.

"Fletchling?"

The robin turned to his left. Slowpoke was lying in her own bed covered in bandages to the point where she looked like a mummy, but some of her pink skin was still exposed. Still, that didn't clear things up for Fletchling as he looked over the room a second time, unable to shake the memory of Thomas' proclamation.

"Ay, was Boss loykin' 'round heah?"

"What?"

"Boss. Was he hangin' 'round talkin' ta me?"

"Why would he do that?" a befuddled Slowpoke asked. "You were unconscious for hours, _and_ it's the middle of the night."

"So?"

She stared at him in silence for a moment. " _So_ he's probably asleep. Jesus, you might be even dumber than before."

"Wheah da hell ah we, anyway?" asked Fletchling, brushing the insult aside.

"We're in the hospital wing."

The room fell silent for a moment, and then Slowpoke laughed.

"That damn Gyarados kicked the shit out of us. Well, more you than me... but hey, you're up sooner than expected!"

As she continued to ramble on, Slowpoke never realized she was being ignored. Even if she had, it wasn't like she could do anything to make Fletchling listen - not in her current condition.

Fletchling glanced down at each of his wings. The right one was covered in bandages in its entirety, whereas the left looked just like it always did. He raised an eyebrow - or, he would've if he had one - and lifted the bandaged wing closer to his face for further inspection, only to discover it felt heavier than usual. He then lifted his other wing without trouble, prompting him to try raising the bandaged one a second time.

Again, he struggled to hold it up. Slowpoke watched his face contort, and once his wing fell to his side Fletchling exhaled.

"What's da big idea? Why ain't it as light as da utta one?" he asked aloud, drawing Slowpoke's gaze as he raised and lowered his left wing repeatedly.

Unlike before, she refrained from speaking. That - combined with the look in her eyes - would've clued Fletchling in on her knowledge of the issue had he not been so engrossed in his own actions, though he soon shifted his attention back to Slowpoke.

"Ay, what happened ta Grovyle and Puppet?" he asked, drawing a snicker from Slowpoke before she shrugged.

"Beats me. I haven't seen either of them since the battle."

Just as Fletchling was about to ask a follow-up question, he heard Thomas' voice in his head for a second time.

 _"We will win for you."_

He returned to reality when Slowpoke waved her tail in front of his face saying, "Hey, you okay? Talk to me, Birdbrain."

He blinked slowly. Very, very slowly, as if he'd been awoken from a deep slumber. "Did uh... did dey beat dat broad?"

Again, Slowpoke shrugged.

"Eeda way, I gotta get strawnga fuh da next batle. Ain't no chance I'se gonna be deadweight," Fletchling said to no one in particular while placing his left wing over his chest, almost as if he was saluting.

"Screw that. There's no way I'm putting myself through this kind of pain for someone like Thomas."

Slowpoke proceeded to scoff, thus drawing an intense glare from her teammate. She ignored it, however, and instead watched the heart monitor by her bed.

"Someone like Boss? What's dat s'posed ta mean?"

"I too, am quite intrigued by the meaning of your assertion."

Fletchling and Slowpoke screamed in unison after Mimikyu rose out of his own shadow, which had appeared out of nowhere.

"How long have you been here?!"

Two arms made of shadows shot out from underneath Mimikyu's disguise and he shrugged with them.

"I cannot say, for I am cursed with dyschronometria," he said, only to sigh inaudibly when both of his injured teammates responded with confused expressions. "My perception of time is distorted, therefore I am unable to provide an accurate answer."

While Slowpoke continued to look befuddled, Fletchling leaned back and laughed at her.

"I too, am quite intrigued by the meaning of your assertion regarding the human. Care to elaborate?" Mimikyu asked again.

His tone was more assertive than before - it almost sounded as if he was _telling_ Slowpoke to respond, rather than asking her to.

The aforementioned Pokemon didn't notice though, and Mimikyu could tell by her immediate compliance.

"He's always isolating himself, and even when he isn't he barely talks to us. Like, he ignores me every time I ask a question."

Mimikyu kept his head still, giving the appearance that he was looking at both of his teammates. They couldn't tell that his eyes were glued to Slowpoke, analyzing her every word, movement, and facial expression. Nothing she did went unnoticed.

"So what? He does dat ta us too, but dat don't mean he ain't a good guy."

"I'm not saying he's a bad guy, I'm saying I won't take a beating for him until he stops acting like that. Why would you?"

Fletchling rolled onto his left side and stood up in his bed to glare at Slowpoke. He placed his left wing over his chest and said, "Cuz I owe 'em my life."

The room fell silent.

Mimikyu's ears twitched, and he immediately focused his sights on Fletchling. Slowpoke did so as well while trying to ask a follow-up question, but Fletchling was already talking before she could open her mouth.

"I was boutta be whacked, but him and Grovyle tried helpin' me. Dey even took me ta da Centuh aftuh I got mopped." Fletchling kept glaring at Slowpoke. "Dat's why I joined Boss; dat's why Imma take a beatin' fuh him."

He glanced at the floor and to the side, generating a wicked smirk from Mimikyu.

 _Ah, but that isn't the only reason, Bird._

"The difference between us is that I didn't _join_ \- he _captured_ me, and that was the end of that."

"Perhaps you should accept your inferiority," Mimikyu retorted. "The human bested you in combat, therefore he earned control over your life."

Slowpoke snarled. "That's bullshit!"

Mimikyu's ears twitched a second time, and he scowled.

 _Such rotten fruit._

 **000**

Grovyle rolled out of her bed, walked across the room, and pressed her face against the glass window. There wasn't much to see other than the battlefield, though instead of finding something better to do, Grovyle didn't look away as she tried to scratch an itch on her right hand. It wasn't the itch that drew her attention, however, it was her left hand scratching at air even though that was exactly where her other hand was.

But it wasn't.

The Grass type looked down to find nearly half of her forearm was gone, as well as the itch, and then a sigh followed.

"How did I forget about that?" Grovyle muttered.

She had no trouble remembering how it felt when every bone in her arm shattered like glass or when her skin was charred, and even though she knew either injury alone could lead to amputation, she didn't remember being told of her own operation until just then.

Grovyle woke up about an hour after the operation and immediately relived her battle against Combusken, so she wasn't at all shocked to see part of her arm had been removed. Oddly enough, the lack of a reaction - not the stump arm - unnerved the doctor who came by to check on her.

The memory ended in a flash, and it couldn't have been timed better as she heard a knock on the door. Thomas proceeded to walk in despite Grovyle never responding, not that it bothered her, and he tucked his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. She didn't turn around to face him, but she did peek over her shoulder and acknowledge his presence with a quick nod.

Thomas gave the room a sweeping look over before noticing Grovyle had returned her attention to the outdoor battlefield.

"Sorry."

Grovyle looked at her trainer's reflection in the window. He was bowing.

"I didn't call off the battle when your arm was burnt."

"So?"

She watched Thomas flinch as she opened and closed her only hand, her expression remaining stoic.

"So... it's my fault-"

" _I_ didn't call off the battle when _my_ arm was burnt. I couldn't."

Thomas stood upright, catching a glimpse of Grovyle closing her hand as tight as she could. Her arm began to shake as a result, yet neither the expression on her face nor the tone with which she spoke changed.

"Seeing how hard everyone fought... I wanted to win for them. I wanted to prove I wasn't weak anymore."

Grovyle turned to the side so that her right arm pointed directly at Thomas, their eyes remaining locked the whole time.

"Now look at me."

Like a vacuum, Grovyle's words sucked the air right out of the room. She saw him recoil and take a step back, though he didn't dare look away from her.

"You're _not_ -"

Before Thomas could get another word in the door behind him swung open and Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu walked inside. His and Grovyle's exchange ended right then and there as he turned around to face everyone else, his back now facing Grovyle.

"Yo! Is youse two tawkin' 'bou-"

Slowpoke shook her head at Fletchling and stepped in front of him, much to his frustration. "Why'd you call us up here?"

 _Brash as always,_ Mimikyu thought, scowling at the pink Pokemon.

"It's about the battle earlier... and everything, really," Thomas said as he buried both of his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. He refused to meet Slowpoke's gaze, or anyone else's for that matter, and all four Pokemon took note of that.

After they each sat on the bed nearest the door, Slowpoke and Fletchling looked around until their eyes fell on Grovyle. It took a few seconds of staring at her amputated arm for it to register in their minds, and their jaws dropped in unison. They didn't scream, though; they couldn't.

"Is _that_ what you meant?" whispered Slowpoke.

Grovyle tried to keep her stump out of sight by turning, but it didn't matter at that point - it was burned in everyone's minds. Even though she could feel her claws and hand as if they were still there, she'd poke at the phantom limb with her left hand and return to reality after touching nothing but air.

Slowpoke continued to point at her teammate while staring at Thomas, oblivious to the menacing glare Mimikyu sent her.

"No, but it's why I wanted to talk to all of you."

Although he hadn't lifted his eyes from the floor, Thomas sensed everyone turning their attention towards him just as they usually did. This time was different, however, but he didn't know how or why. He felt his chest tighten up and his heart progressively beat faster, and the longer he waited to speak the more difficult it became.

It was at that moment Thomas remembered part of what Myles told him.

 _"...Accept it, learn from it, and make sure it never happens again."_

Once he finished inhaling and exhaling slowly, Thomas stood upright and looked at his companions for a few seconds each without saying a word. He bowed suddenly, and the Pokemon - save for Mimikyu - felt their eyes open a bit wider.

"Sorry."

Everyone flinched, even Mimikyu.

"Sorry for getting you all injured. Sorry for ignoring you. Sorry for not treating you as equals. Sorry for not being a better person."

All Grovyle, Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu could do was stare as the Alolan gradually raised himself from his bow with each apology. Finally, he stopped to catch his breath until he was standing upright again.

And then he apologized one final time.

"I'm sorry for everything," Thomas said, "and that's why I called you all here."

The room was so quiet they could've heard a pin drop. Thomas glanced from one Pokemon to the next, taking their slack-jawed expressions as a sign to continue talking.

He stated, "I haven't treated you equally, but that changes right now."

"What does such a shift in power entail?" Mimikyu inquired, snapping the others out of their shock.

"Trainers capture Pokemon for their own interests. Why don't the Pokemon's interests matter?" Thomas asked rhetorically. "That never crossed my mind before tonight."

Fletchling suddenly chimed in and said, "Ya nevuh captchud me, Boss. I joyned ya."

"I, too, swore my allegiance to you under my own volition," stated Mimikyu.

"Same," Grovyle muttered after nodding along with the pair of responses preceding her own.

All that remained was Slowpoke's answer, so everyone looked at her and waited for her to say what they already knew.

"I get it! I'm the only one who was captured!" she hissed. "Get to the point already."

Slowpoke glared at Thomas, and even though he remained unfazed she didn't attempt to dial back her rage.

Fletchling scooted off the bed to get away and Grovyle went back to hanging her head, but Mimikyu kept the pink Pokemon locked in his sights. In fact, it took every fiber of his being to refrain from spitting at her.

Thomas failed to register Slowpoke's glare because he'd already drifted out to the sea of thoughts deep within his mind, albeit for ten seconds or so.

 _It may cost me a spot in the Hoenn League, and it may hurt, but it's the right thing to do._

He was forced to put his internal dialogue on hold when Myles' words returned for a second time.

 _I can't change the past; I have to a_ _ccept it, learn from it, and make sure it never happens again. This is my new starting line._

Keeping that thought in mind, the tightness Thomas felt in his chest faded and his heart rate gradually returned to normal. Then he looked Slowpoke dead in the eye.

"You're all free to leave at any time, for whatever reason. Just tell me to release you and I will, no questions asked."

With just one glance at everyone's faces, Thomas could tell none of them knew what to say. He wouldn't have either had someone told him about such a radical Trainer-Pokemon dynamic, but being the one to think of, and implement, it took away the shock.

"What da fuck did ya smoke, Boss?"

Thomas couldn't help but laugh at the remark, which made Fletchling even more suspicious than before.

"I'm serious. If I was to capture a Pokemon that wanted to be free, I would respect it's wishes."

Mimikyu studied Thomas' body language and the way he spoke before asking, "But for what reason would you give away your power?"

"Pokemon are as intelligent as humans, but I treated you like you weren't. Humans and Pokemon are equals, and that's how we'll treat each other."

"I don't like it," Grovyle mumbled inaudibly while looking at her stump of an arm, making it impossible to tell what she was talking about.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, Slowpoke was the last to respond and became the center of attention. The others waited anxiously to hear what she had to say, Mimikyu and Fletchling in particular. She told them her opinion of Thomas around an hour earlier and were introduced to countless other unrated version-like thoughts she had of him since being captured.

The two's eyes bounced back and forth between Thomas and Slowpoke at light speed. Ultimately, they locked onto Slowpoke because she broke the silence.

"Would you release me for tonight so I can think about it?"

"Sure."

Grovyle snapped her head back after she heard the answer, a distraught look appearing on her face. She then stared at her stump of an arm instead of crying and watching Slowpoke leave. Without Slowpoke, she'd become the team's third wheel. In fact, Grovyle was already on her way there as the distraught look on her face seemed to be over the top compared to Mimikyu's, Thomas', and Fletchling's indifferent expressions.

"If I'm in front of the Pokemon Center tomorrow, I want to be back. If I'm not there, forget about me," she added, generating a quick nod from Tomas.

Although the stipulation gave Grovyle _some_ hope, it was all erased by a flash of blue light she saw in the corner of her eye. She knew it came from Slowpoke's Poke Ball, but the sound of footsteps coupled with the opening and closing of a door made Grovyle forget all about the Poke Ball. What felt like a minute to her passed before she thought it was safe to look over the room without crying. When Grovyle took in her surroundings she didn't see any signs of Slowpoke, thereby confirming her departure from the team - in Grovyle's eyes, that is.

 _The team really dropped back to three members before it hit five... this can't be happening._

"If Slowpoke does leave and it's tough on any of you, we can... uh... talk, and I'll try to help," Thomas said with a sheepish half-smile.

 _How aren't they upset? We might never see Slowpoke again._

Grovyle went to place her arms over her chest but froze when the right one covered roughly half the area as the left. She raised the stub closer to her face and blankly stared at it without a word, her lips quivering.

"Anyway, we should get some sleep if we want to start off on the right foot tomorrow."

A pair of grunts from Mimikyu and Fletchling followed as they strolled out of the room with Thomas. He closed the door without looking back at Grovyle.

 **000**

Combusken's yellow feathers were stained red, his left arm looked almost like rubber, and there were cuts scattered across his entire body.

Grovyle's mouth was stained red, her right arm looked almost like rubber while the skin on it was charred black and swollen, and her right ribcage was covered in contusions.

When they turned back around and locked eyes, the two Pokemon unleashed one final burst of energy and sprinted towards each other. In the brief window of time between their first and last steps forward, Grovyle and Combusken charged up Leaf Blade and Aerial Ace, respectively.

Grovyle hurled her right arm forward while Combusken countered with his left. The attacks blocked each other and an explosion followed in an instant. A massive cloud of thick, black smoke swept over the battlefield, consuming even the trainers.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for the smoke to clear out, and both trainers were revealed to be staring slack-jawed when it did. As for their Pokemon, the Combusken was barely standing and the Grovyle had fallen on her side. The young man who was Grovyle's trainer bolted onto the battlefield, picked her up, and disappeared inside the Pokemon Center.

Louise stared at the screen of her Pokedex. She was watching Thomas' battle against Ashley from earlier in the night, a battle the latter won handily - so handily, in fact, that three of Thomas' Pokemon were sent to the emergency room. The camera that recorded the battle turned away from the automatic doors closing behind Thomas and homed in on Combusken. A mortified look was plastered on his face even after Ashley placed her hand on his shoulder.

Then the screen went black, and just like that the video ended. Louise, however, continued to stare at the Pokedex until a purple cloth was waved in front of her eyes.

"Apologies, Milady, but thy presence is needed to quell a squabble."

"What? Between who?"

"My brain and my heart."

Louise turned towards Aegislash with an expressionless look on her face, though that didn't seem to resonate with the sentient sword as it simply stared right back at her. After sighing, Louise hung her head and motioned with her hand for Aegislash to speak.

The floating Pokemon nodded.

"It would appear our progress has come to a rather startling halt. My heart doth tell me to keep a still tongue, but alas, my brain says otherwise."

Aegislash slouched over for a moment and caught its breath before speaking again, its translator flashing wildly.

"Sir Tomothy-"

"Thomas."

"Ah, pardon the mistake, Milady."

Aegislash bowed, eliciting muffled laughter from Louise.

"It pains me to speak in such a manner, but I believe Sir Thomas is the cause and should be treated as such."

The sentient sword waited for Louise's response before it dared to stop bowing, eliciting another round of muffled laughter from her. However, the longer she took to think about the statement, the angrier she became.

 _Why ditch him now? He's not slowing us down!_

As her eyes narrowed, Louise asked, "Is that so?"

"Indeed it is, Milady. Myself and the others share Lady Gengar's view," Aegislash said after its posture returned to an upright position.

Louise stood up, walked past the chivalrous Pokemon, and approached the four other members of her team. They were sitting together and had been looking at her from afar up to that point, but their eyes began to wander as she drew closer. They'd heard what little she and Aegislash said to each other, which was made painfully obvious by their sudden refusal to so much as look her way.

The only member of the quartet that didn't apply to was Gengar, who didn't take her eyes off of Louise for even a second. She then rose to her feet and walked towards the young woman until they were less than an inch away from each other.

Golurk, Chandelure, and Froslass stopped feigning obliviousness as Aegislash joined them in watching their teammate and trainer stare each other down.

"What are you trying to pull here?" Louise hissed through clenched teeth.

Gengar's face scrunched up in disgust. " _I'm_ keeping focused on why we came here in the first place."

"And I'm _not_?"

There was no response, or reaction, from Gengar.

Louise threw her arms in the air and laughed sarcastically, or perhaps out of frustration. "Wow! That's the dumbest thing I've heard!"

"Dumber than stalking a random guy who doesn't like you?" Gengar retorted, causing Louise's jaw to drop. "Didn't think so."

Suddenly, the bipedal ghost swung her right leg open so that her left side was facing Louise while the right faced her teammates. She went on the attack again instead of giving Louise a chance to respond.

"Stop acting on impulse, and start thinking about what _we_ came here to do!" she snapped while throwing her arm towards the other Pokemon and pointing at them.

Gengar went on for another ten minutes or so before she finally ran out of air and things to say, and when she did Louise faked clearing her throat to get each Pokemon's attention.

"Are you done?"

Despite the question being rhetorical, Gengar proceeded to nod and give Louise her undivided attention just as the others had already done.

"I wasn't stalking Thomas, I was scouting him to get a sense of his future _value_."

All five Pokemon recoiled, each of their faces displaying immense embarrassment in one way or another.

Nevertheless, Froslass asked, "Wait, if that's what you were doing-"

"Is there sufficient enough evidence to support your porjection?" Chandelure inquired, cutting his teammate's question short.

Louise nodded.

"What were your findings on Subject: Thomas?" asked Golurk.

In response, Louise shrugged and focused solely on Gengar, whose arms were crossed her arms while she pouted.

The young woman said, "Well, since I'm not 'keeping focused on why we came here,' the answer's pointless."

Gengar's blood began to boil as Louise jabbed, and jabbed, and jabbed at her. She was relentless, so much so that even the other Pokemon grew tired of her antics and simply disengaged.

When they did, Louise immediately stopped gloating.

"He'd be average in the Pro Circuit, at best. We wouldn't make much of a profit unless we helped him," she announced. "That'd _maybe_ get him to the upper-class of the Pro Circuit, but that's it."

"So what you're saying is he's a low-risk, high-floor prospect?" Gengar asked, prompting a nod from Louise.

Froslass and Chandelure cheered at the news while Golurk and Aegislash started talking about what kind of impact the finding would have. All of that ended just as quickly as it started, however, thanks to another question from Gengar.

"What about Aiden and Ashley?"

Not only did she silence all of her teammates, but she also captured their attention without intending to. Additionally, it brought the forgotten assessments back to Louise's memory - Gengar could tell as much from the way Louise's eyes lit up, a tick she was all too familiar with.

Louise looked at the Pokemon and said, "Aiden wouldn't make it through the Rookie Circuit, his rhythm strategy's too limited right now."

All of the excitement from before was sucked away and replaced with a collective sense of discouragement.

"But if he hones it and expands its utility, I could see him being at the top of the Pro Circuit."

And just like that, everyone's spirits were lifted.

"Ashley has Master Circuit written all over her. She's a goldmine!"

"So only one of them would make us a lot of money. Shocker," Gengar muttered, her tone oozing with sarcasm.

Froslass titled her head in confusion. "Why? From what I could tell, she's a strong trainer," she replied, the sarcastic tone having flown over her head.

"She is. Thomas just lost to her, actually, and it wasn't close," Louise said, flashing her Pokedex.

"The only problem is that her ego's out of control. It almost got her, us, and Aiden killed," Gengar said with a scowl, referring to their clash with Xurkitree.

Louise nodded emphatically.

"Anyways, back to what started this... We can do one of three things."

The young woman rested one of her hands on her hip while she held up three fingers on her other hand.

"One: train and travel with Thomas to raise potential earnings. Two: look for more useful people on the way to Lavaridge. Three: we can make some money of our own. I'll go along with whatever you guys choose."

It took no time for the Pokemon to come to a unanimous decision.

Gengar assumed the role of team spokeswoman as she stated, "We should look for people and make money on the way to Lavaridge. Once we get the badge, we should try finding a certain someone who'd make us even _more_ money than Ashley could."

"Who do you have in mind?"

Gengar cracked a half-smile as she pictured Louise's reaction, yet she couldn't shake the feeling of dread attached to her answer. Ultimately, she forced herself to say the person's name.

"Green Granite."

* * *

 **Whew. It took a while, but I finally wrote something I liked. In short, the conversation between Fletchling, Slowpoke, and Mimikyu revealed their opinions on serving a trainer; Thomas' new stance on** **Trainer-Pokemon dynamics left Slowpoke unsure of whether or not she wanted to be released, so she left the team for the night; and Louise decided to forego traveling with Thomas in favor of making money and getting her seventh badge, but more importantly she wants to find more trainers with higher "revenue potential," which will come up after Fortree.  
Next chapter will shed some light on relationships between members of the Color Crew that haven't been shown, and they may get a new mission too.  
** **Till then, peace out.**

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter: "**_ ** _Price to Pay"_**

 ** _After learning of Xurkitree's capture, everyone in the Color Crew is terrified of how their father will react. Verde overhears their conversation and, wanting to protect his siblings, informs their father he's responsible for the mission's failure_** _ **. What will become of the Color Crew following their second blunder?**_

* * *

 **Burst Arc: Fortree City**

 **Chapter 31: The Worthless Circus Act** **  
Chapter 32:** **Burst Training Blues  
** **Chapter 33: Eye on the Sky** **  
** **Chapter 34: Brothers in Arms  
** **Chapter 35: Rain or Shine  
** **Chapter 36:** **Flock and Roll** **  
Chapter 37: Birds of a Feather  
** **Chapter 38: Cloudy with a Chance  
Chapter 39: Root Problem** **  
**


End file.
